O 


o 

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LIFE    AND    TRAVEL 


INDIA: 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  JOURNEY  BEFORE  THE 
DAYS  OF  RAILROADS. 


ANNA  HARRIETTS  LEONOWENS, 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  K.VJI.ISII  <;<>VKRXKS.S  AT  THE  SIAMESE  COURT' 
AND  "THE  RoMAxri-:  or  THE  HAREKM." 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PORTER    A:    (OATHS. 

LONDON: 

TRTJBXKIt    &    CO. 


Copyright,  1884, 
BY    PORTER   &  COATES. 


(All  Rights  Reserved.) 


THIS  LITTLE  VOLUME  OF  TRAVELS 

$8  $  nseribeb  tor 
MR.   AND   MRS.  WILLIAM  W.  JUSTICE, 

IN 
GRATEFUL  APPRECIATION  OP  THEIR  FRIENDSHIP, 

BY 
THE    AUTHOR. 


200954 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

PAGE 

The  Island  of  Bamb&  Devi. — Sights  and  Scenes  round  about  Bom- 
bay             7 


CHAPTER  II. 
Malabar  Hill,  and  Domestic  Life  of  the  English  in  Bombay     .   .      39 

CHAPTER   III. 

The  Island  of  Shastee,  commonly  called  Salsette. — Gharipoore, 
"  the  Town  of  Purification,"  or  the  Island  and  Caves  of 
Elephanta  51 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Sampwallas,  or  Serpent- Charmers. — Jadoowallahs,  or  Miracle- 
Performers. — Nuzer-Bundyana,  Mesmerizers. — Yogees,  Spirit- 
ual Jugglers,  and  Naga-Poojmi,  or  Serpent-Worship,  in 
India  65 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Pareees,  or  Fire- Worshippers,  of  Bombay. — A  Visit  to  a  Fire- 
Priest  and  Astrologer. — His  Astral  Predictions. — The  Gathas. 
— Zoroaster. — His  Life  and  Religion. — History  of  the  Settle- 
ment of  the  Parsees  in  India 79 

i 


11  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

PAGE 

Domestic  Life  of  the  Fire- Worshippers. — The  Zend-Avesta. — Parsee 
Bites  and  Ceremonies  at  Birth,  Marriage,  Death,  and  Final 
Consignment  to  the  Tower  of  Silence 105 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Hindoo  Treatment  of  the  Sick. — Pundit's  House  Denied. — Its 
Purification. — Short  Sketch  of  the  Different  Races  and  of 
the  Origin  of  Castes  and  Creeds  among  the  People  of  Hin- 
dostan 129 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  Visit  to  the  House  of  Baboo  Ram  Chunder. — His  Wife. — Raj- 
poot Wrestlers. — Nautchnees,  or  Hindoo  Ballet-Girls. — A 
Hindoo  Drama. — Visit  to  a  Nautchnees'  School. — Bayahdiers, 
or  Dancing-Girls,  attached  to  the  Hindoo  Temples. — Profes- 
sion, Education,  Dress,  Character,  Fate  in  Old  Age  and  After 
Death. — Cusbans,  or  Common  Women. — Marked  Differences 
between  these  three  Classes  of  Public  Women 173 

CHAPTER  IX. 

From  Bombay  to  Poonah,  the  Capital  of  the  Raha  Mastra,  or  the 
great  Indian  Kings. — Campooly. — The  Ascent  of  the  Bhor 
Ghauts. — Khondala. — Caves  of  Carlee  or  Karli. — "  Puja 
Chakra,"  or  the  famous  Wheel-Worship  of  the  Brahmans. — 
Poonah. — Kirki. — A  Visit  to  the  Peishwa's  Palace. — Temple 
of  Parvati. — The  Pundit  and  the  Brahmin  Priest  at  Prayer. 
— Sanscrit  and  English  Colleges  at  Poonah. — Suttee  Monu- 
ments at  Sangam. — Hindoo  Bankers,  etc 208 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  beautiful  Hindoo  Village  of  Wye. — The  Mahabaleshwar  Hills. 
—The  Temple  of  the  Gods.— The  Couch  of  Krishna.— The 
Stone  Image  of  the  Cow  from  whose  Mouth  the  Five  Rivers 
of  this  Region  are  said  to  Spring. — The  Holy  Tank. — Satarah, 
the  Star  City  of  the  Mahratta  Empire.— The  Fort.— The  Pal- 
ace of  Sivaji. — Jejureh,  the  famous  Hill-Temples  where  the 
Dancing-Girls  of  the  Country  are  Recruited. — The  Mad  Gos- 
sain,  and  the  Story  of  his  Ill-Fated  Love. — The  Dancing-Girl 
Krayahnee 228 


CONTENTS.  Ill 

CHAPTER   XI. 

PAOK 

From  Satarah,  the  Star  City  of  the  great  Mahratta  Kings,  to  Dow- 
lutabad,  the  Abode  of  Fortune,  and  Aurungabad,  the  Golden 
City  of  the  Mohgul  Emperors. — Tombs  of  Boorhan  Ood  Deen 
and  Aurungzebe. — Mausoleum  of  Rhabea  Duranee. — Sketch 
of  the  Mohgul  Invasion  of  India. — Manners,  Customs,  and 
Religious  Ceremonies  of  the  Mohammedans  of  Hindostan  .  243 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Temples  of  Ellora,  the  Holy  Place  of  the  Deccan. — Nashik, 
the  Land  of  the  Ramayana. — Sights  and  Scenes  on  the  Banks 
of  the  Godaveri. — Damaun,  the  most  famous  of  the  Indo- 
Portuguese  Towns 270 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Taptee  River. — Surat  and  its  Environs. — The  Borahs  and 
Kholees  of  Guzerat. — Baroda,  the  Capital  of  the  Guicowars. 
— Fakeers,  or  Relic-Carriers,  of  Baroda. — Cambay. — Mount 
Aboo. — Jain  Temples  on  Mount  Aboo,  etc 286 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Calcutta,  the  City  of  the  Black  Venus,  Kali.— The  River  Hoog- 
ley. — Cremation  Towers. — Chowringee,  the  Fashionable  Sub- 
urb of  Calcutta. — The  Black  Hole.— Battles  of  Plaseey  and 
Assaye. — The  Brahmo-Somaj. — Temple  of  Kali. — Feast  of 
Juggurnath. — Benares  and  the  Taj  Mahal 303 


PREFACE 


IN  the  following  pages,  gathered  from  voluminous  notes  of  early 
travel,  I  have  tried  to  give  a  faithful  account  of  life  in  India,  as 
well  as  of  the  sights  and  scenes  visited  by  me,  with  my  husband, 
before  the  days  of  railroad  travel. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  introduction  of  the  railroad  into  India 
has  in  no  sense  affected  the  life  of  the  people,  and  has  only  very 
slightly  modified  the  general  appearance  of  the  country.  India  is 
still  what  it  was  in  the  Vedic  period,  a  land  of  peasant  classes  5  she 
still  invokes,  as  did  the  ancient  Aryans  in  the  Rig  Veda,  the  "  Khe- 
tra-pati,"  or  the  divinity  of  the  soil,  for  blessings  on  the  land.  The 
Hindoo  to-day  lives,  as  did  his  forefathers,  close  to  the  heart  of  Na- 
ture, deifying  the  mountains,  streams,  woods,  and  lakes,  while  the 
sun,  moon,  stars,  fire,  water,  earth,  air,  sky,  and  corn  are  his  high- 
est deities.  The  most  beautiful  personification  in  the  Ramayana 
of  womanly  grace  and  virtue  is  called  Sita,  "  a  furrow,"  showing 
how  deep  was  the  national  reverence  paid  to  the  plough ;  and  to 
this  day  at  the  Bathsaptimi,  the  day  on  which  the  new  sun  is 
supposed  to  mount  his  heavenly  chariot,  a  feast  is  observed  in 
honor  of  the  sun,  and  the  ryots  on  this  occasion  decorate  with 
flowers  and  paint  their  ploughs,  and  worship  them  as  the  saviors 
of  the  land. 

I  do  not,  however,  mean  to  say  that  India  has  made  no  progress 
whatever  in  all  these  years — her  imaginative  and  glorious  youth 
has  no  doubt  been  succeeded  by  the  calm  reason  of  mature  age — 
but  this  transition  has  been  gradual  and  progressive  rather  than 
fitful  and  sudden. 

5 


6  PREFACE. 

The  transfer  of  India  by  the  East  India  Company  to  the  British 
Crown,  and  the  recent  laws  for  the  protection  of  the  ryot — or  more 
properly  the  raiyat,  a  leaser  of  land  held  in  perpetuity — against 
the  oppressions  of  the  zemindars,  or  governmental  landlords,  with 
the  right  of  underletting  the  land,  have  to  an  extraordinary  degree 
awakened  the  inborn  desire  of  the  Hindoo  to  become  possessor  of  the 
soil  and  to  return  to  his  hereditary  occupation  of  agriculture.  To 
these  may  be  added  the  security  which  England  has  conferred  upon 
India,  now  that  she  is  no  longer  disturbed  by  frequent  wars,  which 
desolated  the  land,  and  every  now  and  then  forced  the  people  to 
abandon  their  villages  and  fly  to  the  jungles  and  mountains  for 
safety,  under  the  Afghans,  Mohguls,  Mahrattas,  and  other  predatory 
chiefs.  Among  the  lasting  benefits  to  India  it  may  be  mentioned  that 
sutteeism,  infanticide,  self-immolation  to  the  idols,  Thuggism,  and 
slavery  have  all  been  partially,  if  not  quite,  abolished  by  the  strong 
arm  of  the  law.  Railroads  have  been  built,  the  country  has  been 
opened,  schools  established,  civil  service  appointments  thrown  open 
to  the  natives  and  Europeans  alike,  good  roads  made,  canals  and 
huge  reservoirs  for  water  excavated,  ancient  water-courses  reopened, 
giving  an  impetus  to  private  enterprise  and  industry  in  every  direc- 
tion. All  these  happy  changes  have  been  the  result  of  the  more 
liberal  policy  of  England  toward  India  since  the  days  of  the  terri- 
ble mutiny  of  1857  ;  and  it  may  fairly  be  hoped  that  British  India 
has  before  her  as  glorious  a  future  as  her  brilliant  youth  and  ma- 
turity have  foreshadowed  for  her. 

A.  H.  L. 

SUNNYSIDE,  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  •> 
August  7,  1884.  ) 


LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Island  of  Bamba  Devi. — Sights  and  Scenes  round  about  Bombay. 

IN  that  most  delightful  of  all  Indian  months,  the  cool 
month  of  November,  with  the  distant  booming  of  a  great 
gun  that  announced  its  arrival,  the  steamer  from  Aden 
came  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Bombay,  bringing  me 
among  its  many  passengers.  Here  I  was  in  this  strange 
land,  a  young  girl  fresh  from  school,  now  entering  upon 
a  life  so  different,  one  which  I  was  to  lead  through  a  long 
term  of  years. 

The  sun  shone  through  the  mists  and  haze  of  the  early 
dawn,  and  I  could  see  from  my  cabin  window,  with  a  sense 
of  mingled  wonder  and  curiosity,  the  great  stone  quays  and 
the  long  flights  of  stone  steps  which  led  to  the  beautiful 
island  of  Bombay,  lying  there  like  a  gem  in  the  water,  and 
of  which  I  knew  nothing  whatever,  save  that  it  was  once 
the  marriage-dowry  of  a  queen  of  England. 

According  to  some  authorities,  it  takes  its  name  from 
two  Portuguese  words,  "  Buon  Bahia,"  Good  Bay ;  but  in 
reality  it  has  a  still  more  ancient  origin,  being  called  after 
a  very  beautiful  Hindoo  queen,  afterward  deified  as  Bam- 
ba  Devi,  who  long  before  the  days  of  Alexander  the  Great 
was  the  presiding  genius  of  the  land.  She  was  worshipped 
as  "  Mahima  Devi,"  or  the  Great  Mother,  in  one  of  the 
oldest  and  largest  Hindoo  temples  which  formerly  stood 
in  the  great  plain  now  called  the  Esplanade.  It  was 

7 


8  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

pulled  down  about  a  hundred  years  ago,  and  rebuilt  near 
the  Bhendee  Bazaar,  and  is  to  this  day  called  by  her  name 
and  set  apart  to  her  peculiar  service. 

The  longer  I  looked  on  that  bay,  and  on  those  ancient 
islands  with  their  towers  and  spires,  both  pagan  and  Chris- 
tian, gleaming  in  the  pure  morning  sunlight,  the  more  I  felt 
that  it  was  one  of  the  loveliest  scenes  in  the  world  and  one 
of  the  best  worth  admiring. 

The  harbor  is  not  only  one  of  the  safest  known  to  nav- 
igators from  all  parts  of  the  world,  affording  in  its  hollow 
rock-bound  cup  entire  shelter  from  sudden  storms  to  ves- 
sels of  all  burthens,  large  and  small  crafts  of  every  imag- 
inable size  and  color,  but  it  is  in  itself  a  bit  of  landlocked 
water  unrivalled  in  picturesqueness,  furnishing  a  variety 
of  beautiful  views  at  every  point,  and,  one  might  almost 
say,  at  every  passing  moment. 

Its  peculiar  interest,  however,  depends  much  on  the  sea- 
son of  the  year,  the  brightness  of  the  lights,  the  softness  of 
the  shadows,  and  the  picturesque  character  of  the  number- 
less native  boats,  which,  with  their  well-filled  lateen  sails, 
skim  like  white  sea-birds  on  the  surface  of  the  waters. 

The  islands  of  Salsette,  Elephanta,  and  Versovah, 
abounding  in  luxuriant  vegetation,  rise  like  huge  green 
temples  out  of  the  bay.  A  great  part  of  its  beauty,  how- 
ever, is  derived  from  the  singularly  shaped  hills  that  are 
found  in  its  vicinity.  Old  as  the  world,  they  appear  to 
have  gone  through  the  hands  of  some  gigantic  architect — 
some  so  exquisitely  rounded,  some  regularly  terraced,  and 
others,  again,  sharply  pointed,  not  unlike  spires.  Lifting 
themselves  proudly  above  the  broad  glittering  sea  that 
bathes  their  palm-fringed  base,  they  help  to  make  the 
scenery  distinct  from  that  of  any  other  bay  in  the  world. 
Then,  beyond  question,  there  is  nothing  to  equal  in  grace 
and  beauty  the  palm  forest.  The  cocoanut,  the  sago,  the 


THE  ISLAND   OP   BAMBl   DEVI.  9 

betel,  the  date,  the  wild  plantain,  and  the  palmyra,  all  clus- 
ter in  such  profusion  here  and  there  along  the  seashore  that 
the  whole  seems  too  beautiful  to  be  real,  and  you  half  ex- 
pect to  see  the  island  melt  away  like  a  dream  before  you. 

While  I  look  on  from  the  cabin  window  things  take 
clearer  shape  and  form.  Far  away  is  the  dim  outline  of 
the  mighty  Ghauts,  towering  amid  soft  fleecy-white  clouds, 
and  extending  farther  than  the  eye  can  reach  in  the  pur- 
ple distance.  The  striking  views  of  the  adjoining  main- 
land, with  ruins  innumerable  of  chapels,  convents,  and 
monasteries  erected  by  the  Portuguese  conquerors,  all 
covered  with  a  rich  tangle  of  tropical  foliage ;  the  strange 
shapes  of  pagan  temples,  each  in  its  own  peculiar  style  of 
architecture,  Hindoo,  Parsee,  Jain,  and  Mohammedan; 
the  noble  remains  of  the  old  Mahratta  *  forts  and  castles, 
which  in  former  days  were  the  habitations  of  the  famous 
Rajpoots,  with  a  long  line  of  native  and  European  palaces, 
— gradually  unfold  themselves  under  the  golden  haze  of 
an  Indian  atmosphere. 

One  sees  in  no  other  part  of  the  world  just  such  an 
assemblage  as  the  passengers  on  an  Indian-bound  steamer. 
In  the  vessel  that  took  me  to  Bombay  the  most  touching 
object  to  my  mind  was  a  young  married  woman,  who  was 
looking  anxiously  out  for  her  husband,  a  missionary  in 
whose  labors  she  was  now  about  to  share  for  the  first  time. 
He  was  weak,  haggard,  and  spiritless,  worn  out,  no  doubt, 

*  The  name  Mahratta  is  applied  to  all  the  Indo-European  races  who 
dwell  in  that  portion  of  India  extending  from  the  A'rabian  Sea  on  the 
west  to  the  Satpura  Mountains  in  the  north,  to  which  in  ancient  times 
was  given  the  Sanskrit  name  of  Maharashtra,  or  "the  good  country." 
The  Mahrattas  are  Hindoos,  divided  like  them  into  four  castes — the 
Brahmans,  priests  and  professors ;  the  Kumbis,  cultivators  of  the  soil ; 
the  Rajpoots,  or  warriors;  and  the  Sudras,  or  menials.  The  Mahratta 
Brahmans  are  remarkable  for  the  high  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral 
qualities  of  that  caste.  Their  language,  a  fine  sonorous  and  flexible 
tongue,  is  a  dialect  of  the  Sanskrit,  called  Mahratti. 


10  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

by  his  combined  efforts  to  acquire  a  foreign  language, 
convince  an  obstinate  people,  and  bear  the  enervating  in- 
fluence of  a  hot,  muggy  climate ;  all  of  which  was  enough 
to  break  down  the  stoutest  of  frames  and  the  most  hope- 
fuLof  spirits  that  England  has  ever  produced.  A  num- 
ber of  officers,  civil  and  military,  some  in  light-brown 
coats  of  China  silk  and  wide-brimmed  straw  hats,  others 
in  frogged  blue  frocks  and  military  caps,  were  seen  press- 
ing through  the  crowd.  A  young  cadet  just  out  rushed 
into  the  open  arms  of  a  handsome  officer,  like  himself, 
but  older  by  twenty  or  thirty  years.  The  deck  was  being 
fast  cleared  of  its  eager  crowd.  Everywhere  the  passen- 
gers were  separating  amid  almost  sad  adieux,  enlivened 
only  by  the  oft-repeated  promises  to  write  to  each  other 
regularly — promises  which  are  never  fulfilled.  On  the 
great  continent  of  Asia  all  nations  meet  and  hail  each 
other  as  friends,  only  to  part,  perhaps  never  to  meet  again, 
as  vessels  do  at  sea.  But  we  were  all  sincere  enough  at 
the  moment,  which  is  all  that  can  be  expected  from  trav- 
ellers scattering  over  the  vast  unknown  land  of  India.  I 
remember  I  was  very  greatly  troubled  because  I  was  about 
to  part  from  a  gentle,  blue-eyed  young  friend,  a  frank, 
bright,  innocent  young  Scotch  girl,  who  had  become  very 
dear  to  me  during  the  most  tedious  and  sultry  part  of  our 
voyage  from  Aden  to  Bombay. 

We  were  thrown  a  good  deal  together,  and  were  almost 
of  the  same  age.  One  day,  while  passing  through  the 
Red  Sea,  we  exchanged  vows  of  eternal  friendship.  There 

was  on  board  a  sprightly  young  officer,  Ensign  W ,  to 

whom  she  was  already  secretly  betrothed.  "Why  secretly 
she  would  not  confide  to  me,  or  perhaps  explain  even  to 
herself,  for  every  one  on  the  vessel  knew  it,  and  of  her 
naturally  tender  and  loving  disposition,  as  well  as  of  her 
peculiarly  lonely  position  on  board,  being  sent  out  under 


FATE  OF  EUROPEAN  CHILDREN  IN  INDIA.     11 

the  charge  of  the  captain.  I  only  know  that  I  shared  her 
happiness  and  her  anxiety,  for  she  would  have  to  break 
the  news  almost  immediately  to  her  father,  whom  she  was 
expecting  momentarily  on  board.  She  informed  me  that 
her  father  was  a  widower — that  she  had  come  out  to 
India  expressly  to  keep  house  for  him  in  some  remote 
inland  province  somewhere  in  Guzerat. 

At  last  her  father  appeared  on  board,  a  fat,  sun-burnt, 
frowzy-looking  man,  and  inquired  from  the  captain  as 
to  which  was  his  daughter,  in  order  to  assert  his  owner- 
ship over  her.  Instead  of  rushing  to  greet  a  father,  she 
shrank  back  and  nervously  clutched  my  arm  ;  and  it  was 
not  strange.  She  had  not  seen  him  for  many  years ;  in  the 
mean  time  her  mother  had  died,  her  little  brothers  and 
sisters  had  all  died  in  their  infancy ;  she  alone  had  sur- 
vived, and  had  been  sent  home  to  Scotland,  where  she  had 
been  educated  by  an  aunt.  Here,  then,  she  was  alone  in  the 
presence  of  an  almost  entire  stranger,  although  he  was  her 
father ;  and  this  is  not  an  isolated  case,  but  the  fate  of  the 
thousands  of  European  children  who  are  born  in  India. 

No  blood-relationship  avails  anything  in  such  cases. 
The  mysterious  sanctities  of  a  young  girl's  nature,  be  they 
more  or  less  profound,  interpose  themselves  as  barriers 
between  father  and  daughter  at  the  best  of  times  and 
under  the  happiest  of  circumstances.  Those  dim  nooks  and 
corners  of  her  budding  sentiment  can  only  be  reached  by 
a  mother,  so  justly  called  the  mediator  in  the  most  an- 
cient language  of  the  heart. 

Years  after  I  learned  that  my  young  Scotch  friend  had 

married  Ensign  W ,  the  young  officer  to  whom  she  had 

engaged  herself  on  her  voyage  out  to  India.  But  in  one 
short  year  after  her  sweet  blue  eyes  were  closed  for  ever 
on  this  world.  She  died  in  giving  birth  to  a  daughter, 
who  sleeps  side  by  side  with  her  young  mother  in  the 


12  LIFE  AND  TEAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

quiet  little  European  burial-ground  at  Deesa,  a  British 
station  on  the  confines  of  the  great  province  of  Guzerat. 
Very  little  was  known  about  India  until  Alexander  the 
Great  led  his  conquering  array  across  the  Punjaub  (or, 
more  properly,  "  Panch  jeeb,"  or  five  tongues,  from  the 
five  rivers  that  water  this  portion  of  Northern  India)  to 
the  banks  of  the  Hydaspes  and  the  Hyphasis.  The  ar- 
mies of  Alexander  had  hitherto  visited  no  country  which 
was  so  fertile,  populous,  and  abounding  in  the  most  valu- 
able productions  of  nature  and  art  as  that  portion  of 
India  through  which  they  marched.  Fortunately  for  the 
Greeks,  Alexander  had  with  him  a  few  men  who  were 
admirably  qualified  to  observe  and  describe  the  country. 
At  the  mouth  of  the  Indus  the  army  and  fleet  of  Alex- 
ander parted  company.  The  troops  proceeded  by  land. 
Nearchus  took  charge  of  the  ships,  sailed  down  the  Indus, 
and  from  its  mouth,  round  the  southern  coast  of  Asia,  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Euphrates.  The  results  of  his  observa- 
tions during  the  voyage  were  taken  down  and  preserved. 
This  expedition,  undertaken  325  B.  c.,  furnished  a  vast 
amount  of  information  in  regard  to  India,  its  extent  and 
wonderful  resources.  Rome  and  most  of  her  prosperous 
and  civilized  provinces  were  also  very  familiar  with  the 
silks,  brocades,  fine  muslins,  gems  of  great  value,  spices, 
and  many  other  manufactures  and  products  of  the  remote 
East.  The  Latin  name  of  rice,  Oryza  sativa,  is  derived 
from  the  country,  Orissa,  whence  the  Romans  first  ob- 
tained it.  During  the  so-called  Dark  Ages  which  fol- 
lowed the  subversion  of  their  Western  Empire  the  trade 
with  India  was  greatly  diminished,  though  it  never  en- 
tirely ceased  in  parts  of  Europe,  especially  as  some  of  the 
productions  of  the  East  had  been  consecrated  to  the  ser- 
vices of  the  Roman  Catholic  ritual,  and  have  ever  since 
continued  in  request  with  the  Christian  churches  of  Greece 


THE  MOHGTJL,  DYNASTY.  13 

and  Rome.  Even  in  the  remote  island  of  Great  Britain, 
and  in  the  semi-barbaric  Saxon  period,  some  of  the  pre- 
cious spices  and  scented  woods  of  India  had  been  carefully 
treasured  by  the  Venerable  Bede  and  his  co-laborers  in 
their  bleak  northern  monastery,  at  Jarrow.  In  fact,  at  the 
very  dawn  of  European  civilization,  under  the  good  and 
wise  Alfred  the  Great,  English  missionaries  are  said  to 
have  found  their  way  to  the  coast  of  Malabar. 

The  great  seat  of  Eastern  trade  was,  down  to  the  elev- 
enth century,  the  city  of  Constantino  the  Great.  Anialfi, 
Venice,  and  many  other  enterprising  Italian  republics 
acquired  about  this  time  great  commercial  importance, 
owing  to  their  Eastern  trade,  which  they  extended  to 
Egypt  and  the  Persian  Gulf. 

In  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries  some  of  the 
more  adventurous  Italians  found  their  way  to  various 
parts  of  Hindostan.  One  of  these,  the  famous  Marco 
Paulo,  has  given  to  the  world  much  curious  information 
about  the  regions  which  lie  between  the  Himalaya  Moun- 
tains, the  Indian  Ocean,  and  the  numerous  islands  border- 
ing on  the  Celestial  Empire  and  on  India  proper. 

The  first  European  traveller  who  has  given  us  an 
account  of  the  country  near  the  island  of  Bombay  was 
an  Italian  friar  named  Odoricus,  who  passed  nearly  a 
month  at  Tana — or  more  properly  Thanah — where  four 
of  his  family  fell  victims  to  the  intolerant  spirit  of  the 
natives,  and  suffered  martyrdom.  His  narrative  was  pub- 
lished in  Latin  in  1330  A..  D.  by  William  de  Solanga. 
The  first  Englishman  who  visited  the  western  coast  of 
India  was  Thomas  Stephens,  of  New  College,  Oxford. 
He  reached  Goa  in  October,  1579,  and  in  the  year  1608 
Pryard  de  Laval  mentions  him  at  the  time  as  rector  of 
a  college  at  Salsette. 

It  was  during  the  early  career  of  the  famous  Zehir-ed 


14  LIFE  AND  TEAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

Deen  Mohammed,  a  descendant  of  the  renowned  Genghis- 
kh£n,  and  the  founder  of  the  so-called  Mohgul  dynasty, 
better  known  by  his  common  name  of  Baber,  or  "the 
Tiger/'  that  the  Portuguese,  whose  maritime  discoveries 
were  beginning  to  produce,  an  important  revolution  in  the 
commercial  world,  succeeded  in  accomplishing  their  long- 
desired  object  of  finding  a  passage  by  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  to  India.  In  the  year  1498,  just  ten  months  and 
two  days  after  leaving  the  port  of  Lisbon,  Vasco  da  Gama 
landed  on  the  coast  of  Malabar  at  Calicut,  or  more  prop- 
erly Kale  Khoda,  "  City  of  the  Black  Goddess."  Calicut 
was  at  that  period  not  only  a  very  ancient  seaport,  but  an 
extensive  territory,  which,  stretching  along  the  western 
coast  of  Southern  India,  reached  from  Bombay  and  the 
adjacent  islands  to  Cape  Comorin.  It  was,  at  an  early 
period,  so  famous  for  its  weaving  and  dyeing  of  cotton 
cloth  that  its  name  became  identified  with  the  manufac- 
tured fabric,  whence  the  name  calico.  The  dyeing  of 
cotton  cloths  seems  to  have  been  in  practice  in  India  in 
very  remote  ages.  Pliny  as  early  as  the  first  century  men- 
tions in  his  Natural  History  that  there  existed  in  Egypt 
a  wonderful  method  of  dyeing  white  cloth.  It  is  now  gen- 
erally admitted  that  this  ingenious  art  originated  in  India, 
and  from  that  country  found  its  way  into  Egypt.  It  was 
not  till  toward  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  that 
calico-printing  was  introduced  into  Europe.  A  know- 
ledge of  the  art  was  acquired  by  some  of  the  servants  in 
the  service  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company,  and  car- 
ried to  Holland,  whence  it  was  introduced  "in  London  in 
the  year  1676. 

The  town  of  Calicut,  though  repeatedly  burnt  and 
destroyed  by  Portuguese  and  Mohammedan  conquerors, 
still  stands,  as  it  has  done  for  many  hundreds  of  years,  on 
the  seashore,  in  a  somewhat  low  and  exposed  position, 


THE   CONQUESTS   OF  THE   POKTUGUESE.  15 

possessing  neither  a  river  nor  any  harbor  within  several 
miles  of  it,  so  that  ships  are  compelled  to  cast  anchor  five 
or  six  miles  from  the  landing-place,  almost  in  mid-ocean. 
Its  want  of  a  convenient  harbor  does  not  seem  to  have 
detracted  from  its  commercial  importance.  At  the  very 
beginning  of  the  Eastern  trade,  when  Constantinople  was 
attracting  to  itself  all  the  commerce  of  the  East,  Calicut 
was  visited  by  vessels  from  Asia  Minor,  Egypt,  and 
Arabia.  It  was  so  well  known  to  the  Arabians  that  in 
the  seventeenth  century  a  fanatical  sect  of  Mohammedans 
named  Moplahs  immigrated  to  Calicut,  and  entered  with 
great  success  into  the  commercial  life  of  the  city,  and 
occupy  in  it,  even  to  this  day,  a  most  important  place, 
carrying  on  a  very  profitable  trade  between  Calicut,  the 
Red  Sea,  the  Persian  Gulf,  and  various  parts  of  India,  its 
chief  exports  being  rice,  cocoanut,  ginger,  cardamoms,  and 
sandal-  and  teak -wood.  At  the  time  of  the  landing  of  the 
Portuguese,  Calicut  is  described  as  a  fine  city,  with  numer- 
ous magnificent  buildings,  among  which  a  Brahmanical 
temple  and  college  are  especially  mentioned,  so  remarkable 
were  they  for  their  size  and  architectural  adornments. 

It  would  be  out  of  place  to  enter  into  particulars  of  the 
long  struggle  that  ensued,  or  the  disgraceful  acts  of  treachery 
and  cruelty  that  attended  the  conquests  of  the  Portuguese. 
It  will  suffice  to  say  that  in  a  very  few  years  they  wTere 
firmly  established  in  the  south  of  India.  Having  possessed 
themselves  of  the  large  maritime  city  of  Goa,  they  formed 
a  regular  government,  headed  by  a  viceroy  appointed  by 
the  king  of  Portugal.  They  soon  turned  the  trade  of 
Hindostan  and  the  Deccan  into  new  and  more  profitable 
channels,  thus  depriving  the  Venetians,  Genoese,  and 
many  other  nations  of  all  the  advantages  derived  from 
their  long-established  European  commerce  between  the 
Persian  Gulf,  the  Red  Sea,  Egypt,  and  the  Mediterranean 


16  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IK  INDIA. 

Sea.  From  that  time  the  Italians  began  to  decline  in 
wealth,  influence,  and  prosperity  until  the  close  of  the 
sixteenth  and  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
when  the  English,  Dutch,  and  French,  sailing  round  by 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  began  to  appear  upon  the  scene. 
No  sooner  was  this  accomplished  than  the  Portuguese,  who 
had  monopolized  the  commerce  with  Europe  during  the 
sixteenth  century,  lost  (almost  as  rapidly  as  they  had 
acquired  it)  their  immense  influence  in  the  East. 

In  1585,  Thomas  Cavendish,  one  of  the  boldest  and 
most  adventurous  navigators  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, had  accomplished  successfully  a  two  years'  voyage 
round  the  world.  Among  other  places,  he  had  visited 
and  explored  the  spice  islands  called  the  Moluccas,  but 
his  discoveries  resulted  in  no  permanent  benefit  to  the 
British  traders.  In  the  year  following  an  English  expe- 
dition consisting  of  three  vessels,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Raymond,  was  sent  out  to  India,  but  its  object 
was  rather  more  warlike  than  commercial,  as  it  was 
intended  to  cruise  against  the  Portuguese.  Sickness,  ship- 
wreck, and  other  disasters  overtook  the  vessels ;  Captain 
Raymond,  one  of  the  most  spirited  men  of  his  time,  was 
lost  without  even  having  seen  the  Eldorado  of  his  dreams, 
and  Captain  Lancaster,  his  second  in  command,  returned 
home  a  sad  and  almost  ruined  man.  Francis  Drake,  after- 
ward knighted  by  Queen  Elizabeth  for  his  many  remark- 
able exploits  at  sea,  succeeded  in  capturing  five  Portuguese 
vessels  laden  with  the  rich  products  of  India.  These,  with 
the  successes  of  the  Levant  Company  and  the  accumulating 
information  obtained  from  private  sources,  contributed  to 
keep  alive  the  excitement  and  to  increase  to  an  inordinate 
degree  the  desire  of  English  traders  and  merchants  for  a 
more  immediate  participation  in  the  Eastern  commerce. 
Nevertheless,  the  ambition  and  jealousy  of  the  British  mer- 


THE   EAST-ESTDIA   COMPANY.  17 

chants  were  not  fully  aroused  until  they  heard  that  the 
Dutch  in  1595  had  fitted  out  and  despatched  four  ships  to 
trade  with  India. 

Then  the  British  merchants  immediately  set  to  work. 
A  fund  was  raised  by  subscriptions  of  a  number  of  indi- 
viduals amounting  to  £30,133  6s.  Sd.,  a  company  was 
formed,  and  a  committee  of  fifteen  able  men  was  elected 
to  manage  it,  which  was  the  origin  of  the  "  East  India 
Company."  On  the  31st  of  December,  1600,  just  two 
hundred  and  eighty-four  years  ago,  a  royal  charter  of 
privileges  was  granted,  conditionally  for  fifteen  years,  to 
the  company.  By  means  of  this  charter,  and  furnished 
with  letters  from  Queen  Elizabeth  to  various  Eastern 
rajahs,  who  were  probably  unconscious  of  her  existence,  a 
squadron  of  five  ships  sailed  on  the  2d  of  May,  1601,  from 
Torbay.  It  was  placed  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Lancaster,  the  companion  of  the  unfortunate  Raymond. 
Fortune  now  appeared  to  favor  the  brave  Lancaster. 
The  very  first  place  which  he  and  his  crews  visited  was 
Acheen  in  the  island  of  Sumatra.  Owing  to  the  fact  that 
Northern  Sumatra  had  already  been  repeatedly  visited  by 
European  travellers,  among  whom  were  Marco  Paulo, 
Friar  Odoricus,  and  Nicolo  Conti,  Captain  Lancaster  was 
remarkably  well  received  by  Alaudin  Shah,  the  then 
reigning  sovereign ;  and,  to  add  to  his  good  fortune,  while 
cruising  in  the  Straits  of  Malacca  he  succeeded  in  captur- 
ing a  large  and  heavily-laden  Portuguese  vessel  having  on 
board  a  cargo  of  fine  calicoes,  spices,  and  some  of  the  fine 
gold  for  which  Acheen  was  then  celebrated.  Thus  unex- 
pectedly enriched,  he  sailed  away,  and,  entering  the  Straits 
of  Angeer,  landed  at  Bantam  in  the  island  of  Java,  where 
he  established  an  agency — the  first  germ  of  the  great  East 
India  Company's  factories — and  returned  in  safety  to  Eng- 
land in  the  autumn  of  the  year  1603.  For  many  years 


18  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

following  the  trading  vessels  of  the  East  India  Company 
made  successful  voyages  to  many  of  the  best-known  islands 
in  the  Indian  Ocean,  realizing  immense  profits,  and  return- 
ing home  to  enrich  the  company  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
excite  the  jealousy  of  the  British  government,  which  vainly 
attempted  to  limit  the  privileges  of  the  royal  charter  granted 
to  it  by  Queen  Elizabeth.  Not  many  years  after  the  suc- 
cess of  the  company  was  assured  by  a  firman  of  the  great 
Mohgul  emperor,  confirming  to  them  certain  privileges, 
and,  above  all,  authorizing  their  establishment  of  factories 
at  some  of  the  most  important  ports  of  Hindostan. 

The  Dutch,  who  had  dispossessed  the  Portuguese  of 
their  factory  in  Amboyna,  one  of  the  largest  of  the  spice 
islands  in  the  Molucca  group,  now  began  to  regard  the 
English  traders  with  much  jealousy.  These,  only  eighteen 
in  number,  had  established  themselves  in  a  defenceless 
house  in  town,  trusting  to  the  agreements  and  treaties  they 
had  made  with  the  Dutch  traders.  The  Dutch  invited 
them  in  a  friendly  manner  to  pay  a  visit  to  their  castle, 
fortified  and  garrisoned  by  two  hundred  men.  The  unsus- 
pecting English  had  no  sooner  entered  the  castle  than  they 
were  seized,  put  to  the  rack  and  torture,  and  ten  of  the 
number,  holding  out  firmly  to  the  last,  were  put  to  death. 

During  the  memorable  conflict  between  Charles  I.  and 
the  Parliament  nearly  all  foreign  enterprise  flagged.  Dis- 
tracted by  the  great  civil  war  that  followed,  the  East  India 
Company  sank  into  comparative  inaction.  But  no  sooner 
was  the  great  Oliver  Cromwell  at  the  head  of  affairs  than 
he  reconfirmed  the  privileges  of  the  company,  and  gave 
every  encouragement  to  its  trade;  he  also  compelled  the 
Dutch  government  to  pay  the  sum  of  £300,000,  together 
with  a  grant  of  one  of  the  smaller  spice  islands,  as  some 
compensation  to  the  descendants  of  those  who  suffered  in 
the  "  Amboyna  massacre." 


A  NEW   CHARTER  GRANTED   IN   1661.  19 

A  new  charter  was  granted  to  the  company  by  Charles 
II.  in  1661,  in  which,  in  addition  to  the  old  privileges, 
new  and  important  ones  were  given  to  them.  They  were 
vested  with  the  right  of  full  civil  jurisdiction  and  military 
authority  over  all  Europeans  in  their  employment,  as  well 
as  with  the  power  of  making  war  and  concluding  peace 
with  the  "  infidels  of  India."  In  1662,  Charles  II.  mar- 
ried Catharine,  princess  of  Portugal,  who  brought  him  a 
million  pounds  sterling  and  gifts  of  the  island  of  Bombay 
and  the  fortress  of  Taugiers.  In  1668,  at  the  request  of 
the  company,  Charles  sold  to  them  for  a  trifling  sum  of 
money  the  island  of  Bombay,  granting  to  them  shortly 
after  the  island  of  St.  Helena,  an  equally  convenient  sta- 
tion for  their  merchantmen ;  and  at  length,  induced  by  the 
defensible  character  of  the  island  and  its  convenient  and 
most  commodious  harbor,  the  company  transferred  from 
Surat  to  Bombay  the  seat  of  their  government.  Thus  the 
island  of  Bombay  became  the  presidency  over  all  their  set- 
tlements, and  from  that  moment  numerous  Oriental  nations 
were  attracted  to  the  island,  commerce  rapidly  increased, 
the  native  town  began  to  spread,  and  the  foundation  of  a 
great  empire  in  India  was  securely  laid. 

In  no  other  part  of  the  world  are  found  so  many  races 
and  peoples  living  side  by  side  as  in  the  island  of  Bombay. 
In  the  spacious  streets  and  bazaars  one  meets  Buddhists, 
Jains,  Brahmans,  Hindoos,  Chinese,  Musulmans  (both  Per- 
sians and  Arabs),  Seedees  or  Africans,  Indo-Portuguese, 
Indo-Britons,  Jews,  Armenians,  Afghans,  Caucasians,  Par- 
sees,  Americans,  and  Europeans  of  all  nationalities.  The 
most  important  of  all  these  are  undoubtedly  the  Parsees. 
They  are  as  a  class  the  richest,  most  industrious,  and  most 
honorable  of  all  the  native  populations.  They  are  the 
most  extensive  merchants  and  land-owners  in  the  island ; 
they  share  largely  in  foreign  speculation  both  in  the  Euro- 


20  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

pean  and  mercantile  houses.  They  hold  to  two  principles 
as  indispensable  to  their  permanent  success  and  efficiency 
in  trade :  First,  that  every  Parsee  in  any  part  of  the  Indian 
empire  shall  be  subject  to  the  established  government, 
whatever  it  may  be.  By  this  means  they  diffuse  a  spirit 
of  obedience  and  promptitude  among  their  co-religionists, 
whether  in  India,  Persia,  China,  or  Egypt,  and  are  at  once 
able  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  one  and  every  member 
of  the  faith  in  any  emergency  that  may  demand  the  com- 
bined efforts  of  the  entire  sect.  Secondly,  that  every  Par- 
see,  no  matter  what  the  accident  of  his  birth,  is  the  equal 
of  his  more  prosperous  fellow-laborers. 

The  island  of  Bombay  is  separated  from  the  mainland 
by  an  arm  of  the  sea,  and  forms,  in  conjunction  with  the 
adjacent  islands  of  Salsette  on  the  north,  Colabah  and  Old 
"Woman's  Island  on  the  south,  a  magnificent  and  well- 
sheltered  harbor.  Handsome  causeways  raised  above  the 
sea  at  high  water  span  the  narrow  channels  on  the  south, 
and  connect  Bombay  with  two  of  the  most  picturesque  isl- 
ands I  have  ever  seen.  To  the  north,  Bombay  is  again 
connected  with  Salsette  by  a  causeway  with  a  fine  arched 
stone  bridge,  and  yet  another  causeway  has  t>een  thrown 
over  the  strait,  so  as  to  connect  the  great  India  Peninsular 
Railway  with  the  mainland.  Thus  Bombay  and  the  islands 
which  surround  it  form  a  continuous  breakwater  extending 
from  north  to  south  for  several  miles.  Toward  the  east  lies 
the  celebrated  island  of  Elephanta;  just  opposite  to  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor  lies  a  thickly-wooded  island  of  little 
elevation,  with  the  exception  of  two  remarkable  projections 
which  are  shot  upward  almost  perpendicularly  from  the 
level  of  the  land,  called  Great  and  Little  Caranja  Hills. 

One  of  our  first  drives  was  to  thejEort  and  town  of 
Bombay.  The  latter  is  situated  within  the  fort,  and  is 
almost  a  mile  in  length  from  the  Apollo  Gate  to  that  of 


THE  DRY-DOCK  OF   BOMBAY.  21 

the  bazaar,  but  hardly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  its  broadest 
part,  from  the  Custom-house  across  the  great  Green  to 
what  is  called  Church  gate.  It  is  now  called  Fort  George, 
and  with  its  moats,  drawbridges,  and  gateways  is  still  in 
tolerably  good  repair.  There  are  two  gateways  facing 
the  beautiful  harbor,  having  commodious  wharfs  and 
cranes  built  out  from  each,  with  a  fine  broad  stone  quay 
or  landing-place  for  passengers.  Passing  through  these 
gates,  we  visited  the  famous  Bombay  Castle,  a  regular 
quadrangle  built  of  hard  stone.  In  one  of  the  bastions 
we  saw  a  spacious  reservoir  for  water.  The  fortifications 
are  sufficiently  formidable,  and  are  frequently  repaired, 
if  not  improved.  Dungarree  Hill,  which  commands  the 
town,  has  now  been  included  within  the  fort,  by  which 
accession  the  seaward  points  of  the  island  are  rendered 
extremely  strong,  the  harbor  being  completely  commanded 
by  successive  ranges  of  batteries  placed  one  above  the 
other.  The  Government  House,  a  showy  but  a  most 
inconvenient  building,  the  old  church,  and  a  spacious 
Maidan,  or  Common,  are  also  situated  within  the  fort. 

The  rise  of  the  tides  has  been  found  such  as  to  admit 
of  the  construction  of  docks  on  a  truly  magnificent  scale. 
Indeed,  the  dry-dock  of  Bombay  is  said  to  be  unequalled 
In  the  East  for  its  immense  size  and  convenience.  It  has 
been  built  with  three  divisions,  each  of  which  is  furnished 
with  a  pair  of  strong  gates,  so  that  it  is  capable  of  receiv- 
ing three  ships-of-the-line  at  a  time.  This  operation  is 
generally  entrusted  to  Parsees,  and  executed  with  great 
rapidity  and  skill.  These  docks  have  sprung  up  here 
since  the  days  when  the  island  passed  into  the  possession 
of  the  East  India  Company.  Another  remarkable  feature 
of  this  part  of  Bombay  is  the  so-called  ropewalk,  which 
is  said  to  be  equal  to  any  in  England  (with  the  single 
exception  of  the  king's  yard  at  Portsmouth).  Here  rope 


22  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

cables  and  every  variety  of  lesser  cordage  are  manufac- 
tured in  great  abundance.  The  workmen  can  be  seen 
seated  under  covered  awnings  diligently  plying  their 
respective  occupations — some  cleaning  the  caiah,  or  cocoa- 
nut-husks,  others  plaiting,  and  yet  again  others  twisting 
heavy  ropes  and  cords. 

The  Bombay  dockyard  is  also  worth  visiting ;  it  is  ad- 
mirably contrived,  and  abounds  in  fine  stone  warehouses 
well  stocked  with  timber  for  building  and  repairing  ves- 
sels and  ships  of  all  kinds  and  sizes,  with  forges,  and 
well-instructed  Parsees,  who,  among  other  qualifications, 
are  counted  the  best  ship-carpenters  to  be  found  in  the 
East.  Many  of  the  merchantmen  and  ships-of-the-line 
in  the  service  of  the  late  East  India  Company  have  been 
built  here  from  time  to  time,  and  are  still  built,  of  Mala- 
bar and  Mylonghee  teak-wood,  which  is  much  esteemed 
throughout  India.  One  of  the  most  magnificent  teak 
forests,  from  which  supplies  of  wood  are  obtained,  lies  on 
the  north-western  boundaries  of  the  kingdom  of  Siam; 
the  other  on  the  western  side  of  the  Ghauts  and  all  along 
the  mountains  lying  north  and  east  of  the  old  Portuguese 
town  of  Bassein.  They  are  floated  down  to  Bombay  by 
means  of  the  numerous  streams  which  descend  from  these 
mountain-ridges. 

Another  curious  feature  is  the  celebrated  cotton^press, 
of  which  there  are  a  great  many  in  use  here — marvellous 
in  themselves,  but  more  striking  amid  the  mountains  of 
cotton  piled  up  waiting  to  be  pressed  before  transportation 
to  Europe,  China,  and  other  parts  of  the  world.  Not  very 
far  from  these  one  comes  upon  a  square  around  which 
cluster  most  of  the  European  warehouses  and  the  banks, 
huge  blocks  of  masonry,  dark  and  dismal  as  the  tomb,  im- 
pregnated with  the  odors  of  tea,  coffee,  spices,  and  every 
other  known  Indian  commodity  or  manufacture. 


INITIATION  TO  THE   COMMERCE   OF  THE  WORLD.    23 

It  was  my  first  initiation  to  the  commerce  of  the  world 
to  visit  this  spot.  Previous  to  this  day  I  had  hardly  so 
much  as  purchased  a  ribbon  for  myself,  and  could  not  con- 
ceive what  trade  really  meant.  But,  driving  here  about 
ten  o'clock  one  morning,  the  whole  scene  dawned  upon 
me  with  peculiar  force.  The  great  square  was  thronged 
with  a  motley  crowd  of  dark-  and  white-faced  foreigners, 
all  eager,  jostling,  and  contending  with  each  amid  the  con- 
fused hubbub  of  all  languages  and  all  manner  of  dialects. 
Here  were  strange  specimens  of  every  nationality  and 
every  phase  of  life,  from  the  lordly  English  and  Scotch 
merchants,  the  skilful  and  assiduous  Parsees,  to  the  half- 
nude,  wretched-looking  fakeers  and  beggars  who  haunt 
this  spot  in  the  hope  of  getting  a  few  pice.* 

For  six  hours  these  masses  of  humanity  struggle,  work, 
barter,  buy  and  sell,  load  and  unload,  and  carry  on  the 
strangely-exciting  warfare,  not  of  flesh  and  blood,  but  of 
pounds,  shillings,  and  pence,  straining  every  nerve  each 
to  outdo  his  neighbor,  to  enrich  himself,  at  great  sacrifice 
of  life,  health,  and  at  times  even  of  honor,  in  the  hope  of 
returning  to  his  native  land  to  enjoy  the  spoils — a  hope 
which,  alas!  is  realized  only  in  rare  instances. 

But  at  four  o'clock,  as  if  by  magic,  the  eager,  bustling, 
jostling  crowd  suddenly  vanishes ;  the  din  and  confusion 
cease.  Long  lines  of  carriages  and  handsome  equipages 
drive  up  to  the  great  stone  warehouses,  and  dash  away 
with  their  white-faced  occupants.  Where  is  now  the 
commerce  of  the  world  ?  Gone  with  the  powerful,  all- 
grasping  white  man.  A  silence  profound  as  the  grave 
succeeds  to  the  rush,  noise,  and  turmoil  of  the  day.  In 
less  than  half  an  hour  not  a  human  being  is  to  be  seen 
anywhere,  save  the  solitary  begrimed  watchmen  seated 
here  and  there  in  dim  nooks  and  corners,  and  the  armed 
*  Pieces  of  money  each  of  the  value  of  one-fourth  of  a  penny. 


24  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

white-faced   sentinels   standing   grim  and  silent  at  their 
posts. 

On  this  first  visit  we  were  the  last  to  quit  the  scene. 
Nothing  ever  made  so  deep  and,  I  might  truly  say,  so 
depressing  an  impression  on  my  mind  as  the  fierce  and 
unnatural  activity  which  pervaded  this  spot. 

A  day  or  two  after  we  drove  through  the  markets  or 
bazaars  of  the  Parsees,  or  Fire-worshippers,  and  another 
and  peculiar  class  of  native  traders  called  the  Borahs — the 
two  most  enterprising  of  the  many  different  peoples  who 
occupy  this  island.  These  markets,  nearly  three  miles  in 
extent,  are  perhaps  the  most  picturesque  in  the  world, 
composed  entirely  of  lofty,  handsome  Oriental  houses, 
with  projecting  lattice  windows  and  wooden  balconies 
elaborately  carved  and  hung  in  many  places  with  rich 
tapestries.  The  upper  stories  of  the  houses  are  the  dwell- 
ings of  the  merchants  and  their  families ;  the  lower  por- 
tions are  given  up  to  stalls,  shops,  and  alcoves  where  the 
most  delicate  fabrics  and  the  most  exquisite  work  of  all 
kinds  are  manufactured  by  native  artisans — boxes,  fans, 
drinking-cups  carved  out  of  cocoanut-shells,  with  stools, 
tables,  chairs,  and  other  articles  of  furniture  for  the  homes 
of  European  residents,  as  well  as  for  exportation.  Here 
are  made  kinkaubs,  or  cloths  of  gold ;  mulmuls,  or  mus- 
lins, of  such  transparent  texture  as  to  be  called  "  running 
waters ;"  and  many  other  articles  are  wrought  out  here  by 
half-nude,  savage-looking  men  and  women  with  tools  of 
the  rudest  and  most  primitive  kind.  Nearly  all  the  Ori- 
ental work  done  here,  though  very  beautiful  and  delicate 
of  its  kind,  is  imitative,  and  it  lacks  that  freedom  and 
diversity  so  peculiar  to  European  manufacture. 
,  The  street  that  Europeans  most  visit  in  this  quarter,  and 
the  best  worth  seeing  for  its  unmixed  and  purely  Oriental 
character,  is  called  the  "  Bhendee  Bazaar:"  It  abounds 


DISPLAY   OF   GOODLY  ARABIAN  STEEDS.  25 

in  the  queerest  and  most  picturesque  sights — solemn  mer- 
chants, turbaned  and  with  long  flowing  robes,  seated  cross- 
legged  in  their  dens  smoking  long  hookas ;  native  women, 
handsomely  dressed,  in  a  variety  of  costumes,  and  half- 
nude  beggars,  who  seem  to  beg  for  fun  or  for  a  wager ; 
cripples,  vagabonds ;  coolies  with  great  heavy  burdens  on 
their  backs,  beneath  which  head  and  shoulders  have  dis- 
appeared, and  only  two  bare  legs  can  be  seen  struggling 
along  amid  the  crowd ;  peddlers  yelling  like  fiends ;  tur- 
baned Mohammedans ;  Hindoo  and  Parsee  ladies  closely 
veiled,  either  on  foot  or  in  draped  carriages  drawn  by 
milk-white  bullocks  instead  of  horses ;  indolent  loungers 
sleeping  in  the  shade;  dogs  yelping  and  native  soldiers 
crushing  through  this  great  crowded  aisle  of  the  Bhendee 
Bazaar.  It  is  not  only  full  of  everything  Oriental,  but 
everything  Occidental,  even  to  the  idols  so  largely  manu- 
factured in  Europe  for  the  Indian  markets — from  the  cost- 
liest gems  from  the  mines  of  Punnah  and  Golconda  to  the 
commonest  English  prints ;  and  since  the  introduction  of 
free  trade  one  can  absolutely  purchase  English  goods 
cheaper  in  this  market  than  in  the  cities  where  they  are 
manufactured. 

After  visiting  Bhendee  we  came  one  day  upon  a  most 
interesting  portion  of  the  bazaar,  the  Arabian  horse- 
markets.  Long  lines  of  stables  stretch  along  for  some  dis- 
tance, making  a  noble  display  of  goodly  Arabian  steeds. 
These  splendid  high-bred  creatures  are  greatly  esteemed 
by  the  native  traders,  nawabs,  and  princes,  as  well  as  by 
the  rich  English  merchants,  and  often  bring  fabulous 
prices.  It  was  very  pleasant  to  go  through  these  stables 
and  see  the  care  and  attention  bestowed  upon  the  horses 
by  the  native  grooms,  who,  while  washing,  feeding,  and 
rubbing  them  down,  talk  to  them  as  if  they  were  children. 
Our  Hindoo  scyce,  or  groom,  while  grooming  his  horse 


26  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

always  told  him  everything  that  had  happened  to  him 
during  his  absence  on  the  previous  evening,  opening  the 
conversation  with,  "Kaisah  hai  paiyarah? — How  art  thou, 
beloved?" 

Not  far  off  there  is  a  less  picturesque  but  much  more 
densely-crowded  market  called  the  "Chine  Bazaar."  It 
runs  along  the  filthiest  part  of  the  city,  and  leads  to  a 
stone  pier  devoted  to  the  native  population  and  to  the 
loading  and  unloading  of  native  craft  and  vessels.  The 
people  who  inhabit  this  part  of  the  city  are  chiefly  Las- 
cars, or  native  sailors,  and  foreigners  from  different  parts 
of  the  East.  On  any  day  and  at  any  hour  one  may  see 
what  seems  the  entire  produce  of  the  East  piled  on  this 
stone  wharf;  merchandise  and  mankind  are  in  great  masses 
here.  Every  inch  of  ground  is  thronged  with  moving 
forms,  presenting  a  wild  masquerade  of  extravagant  dress 
and  of  the  most  perfect  undress.  Everywhere  there  is 
more  filth  and  dirt  than  is  possible  to  conceive  at  first 
sight ;  odors  of  ghee,  or  clarified  butter,  and  fish  in  every 
stage  of  decomposition,  assail  you  amid  all  manner  of 
deafening  sounds. 

On  one  occasion,  when  visiting  this  part  of  Bombay,  I 
saw  the  landing  of  some  pilgrims  from  Mecca — a  dirty, 
ill-looking  set  of  men,  but  the  moment  they  touched  land 
the  crowd  was  hushed ;  they  walked  in  file  counting  their 
beads  through  the  parted  crowds,  who  almost  to  a  man 
salaamed  in  abject  reverence  to  the  holy  strangers. 

I  also  saw  some  beautiful  girls  landed  here,  and  that 
they  were  slaves,  brought  for  p_riyate_jaje  among  the  rich 
natives,  I  could  not  doubt.  I  afterward  learned  that 
women  were  brought  here  every  year,  and  disposed  of 
privately  to  fill  the  hareems  of  the  rich  Musulman  mer- 
chants in  spite  of  British  laws.  Riding  through  these 
bazaars,  it  has  impressed  me  that  whatever  Great  Britain 


A  SECEET  SOCIETY   IN   BOMBAY.  27 

might  do  for  the  improvement  of  the  island  of  BamM  D£vi 
in  the  way  of  governing  it,  it  would  take  very  many  cen- 
turies before  she  could  destroy  its  purely  Oriental  cha- 
racter. 

At  one  time  a  very  curious  organization  existed  in  Bom- 
bay for  upward  of  thirty  years,  consisting  of  a  body  of 
forty  or  more  individuals  who  bound  themselves  into  a 
sort  of  secret  society,  the  sole  object  of  which  was  sys- 
tematic plunder.  This  society  had  in  its  employment 
about  three  hundred  men  as  subordinates,  instructed  to 
receive  goods  stolen  from  the  merchants'  ships.  The  har- 
bor was  the  chief  scene  of  their  secret  operations.  Here 
those  of  the  members  who  were  on  duty  were  ordered  to 
distribute  themselves  at  the  various  wharves  and  piers, 
whence  boats  went  off  to  ships  either  when  loading  or 
unloading.  These  employe's  of  the  secret  society  either 
detained  the  boats'  crews  in  conversation,  and  thus  pur- 
loined goods,  or  hired  themselves  for  a  veryjiow  sum  of 
money  to  work  with  them  for  the  night.  In  this  way 
they  managed  to  drop  into  the  water  or  into  another  and 
confederate  boat  some  of  the  goods  surreptitiously  obtained. 
The  plunder  was  then  conveyed  openly  to  the  shore,  and 
sold  by  auction  next  morning,  without  any  attempt  at  con- 
ct-alinent,  so  far  as  the  natives  were  concerned ;  and  as  few 
Europeans  frequented  this  part  of  the  native  town,  they 
had  no  fear  of  detection.  It  is  said  that  the  books  of  this 
robber  society  were  scrupulously  kept,  the  division  of  the 
profits  made  with  strict  honesty,  and,  what  is  more  re- 
markable still,  two  shares  of  the  profits  were  bestowed  on 
charitable  institutions  among  the  various  tribes  and  castes 
of  Bombay.  It  was  not  until  the  year  1843  that  this 
secret  robber,  society  was  detected  in  some  wholesale  plun- 
der; the  chiefs  concerned  in  it  were  brought  to  justice 
and  the  whole  thing  broken  up. 


28  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

The  late  East  India  Company,  in  order  to  protect  the 
trade  of  the  country  against  such  societies,  as  well  as 
against  the  hordes  of  pirates  who  have  ever  since  the  days 
of  Alexander  the  Great  infested  the  western  coast  of  India, 
found  it  necessary  to  maintain  an  armed  marine  force. 

Not  far  from  the  extreme  point  of  the  Oriental  bazaars, 
so  full  of  mystery,  romance,  and  dirt,  is  a  spot  I  have  often 
visited,  called  Co:labaji — more  properly  Kalaaba,  or  Black 
Water — where  the  sea  is  of  the  deepest  blue,  and  where  an 
entirely  different  picture  is  presented  to  the  eye.  Bunga- 
lows, as  the  better  class  of  Indian  houses  are  called,  with 
broad,  open,  and  shady  verandahs,  each  with  its  beauti- 
fully kept  garden,  stretch  along  this  promontory,  making 
a  charming  scene.  These  are  the  residences  of  some  of 
the  wealthiest  inhabitants  of  the  island.  Bright,  airy- 
looking  dwellings,  nestling  amid  the  most  graceful  ever- 
green foliage,  and  standing  as  they  do  between  two  bays, 
they  occupy  the  most  beautiful  spot  in  Bombay. 

At  the  extreme  end  of  this  promontory  are  the  Euro- 
pean barracks,  built  with  reference  to  the  exigencies  of 
the  climate  and  replete  with  comfort  for  the  British  sol- 
diers and  their  officers.  It  is  really  both  pleasing  and 
interesting  to  see  that  these  are  well  cared  for  in  this 
foreign  land;  but  the  curiosity  and  charm  born  in  the 
native  parts  of  the  island,  and  especially  in  the  bazaars, 
lessen  by  sure  degrees  as  you  see  your  countrymen  quietly 
and  comfortably  established  in  a  spot  with  which  they 
seem  so  out  of  harmony  in  form  and  color.  On  the 
southern  extremity  of  Colabah  is  the  lighthouse,  a  grace- 
ful circular  building  standing  on  a  desolate  rock  which 
stretches  far  into  the  sea  and  commands  the  entrance  to 
the  fort.  It  rises  from  the  sea-level  one  hundred  and  fifty* 
feet,  flashing  its  light  to  the  distance  of  twenty-one  miles. 
I  remember  going  to  the  top  of  it  one  moonlight  night. 


THE   VILLAGE   OP   GIRGAUM.  29 

We  remained  there  two  or  three  hours,  and  saw  the  moon 
rise  higher  and  higher,  silently  scattering  the  deep  shadows 
one  by  one,  revealing  the  half-hidden  beauties  of  that 
strange  shore ;  and  at  length,  when  she  climbed  over  head 
and  looked  down  in  the  full  splendor  of  her  light,  the 
mountain-ridges,  feathered  with  wavy  palms,  the  glim- 
mering peaks  and  spires  of  the  land,  were  all  magnifi- 
cently pictured  in  richest  and  softest  colors  in  the  polished 
mirror  of  the  sea. 

The  "  Maidan^"  or  Plain,  is  a  fine  esplanade  in  front 
of  the  fort.  Here  passing  European  officers,  and  those  Eu- 
ropeans who  are  obliged  by  business  or  any  other  circum- 
stance to  live  within  the  fort  during  the  cool  months, 
erect  bungalows ;  some  of  these  are  remarkably  elegant 
buildings,  but  wholly  unfit  to  resist  the  violence  of  the 
monsoon.  At  the  moment  that  the  early  showers  of  rain 
announce  the  wet  season  these  temporary  homes  vanish 
and  their  place  is  very  soon  occupied  by  a  vast  sheet  of 
water.  The  Esplanade  serves  to  separate  the  European 
from  the  native  part  of  the  island,  the  latter  being  vul- 
garly called  the  "Black  Town." 

Toward  the  north  of  the  island  are  scattered  many  pic- 
turesque and  thriving  villages  amid  native  groves  of  man- 
goes, palms,  and  fine  timber  trees,  cities  of  the  dead,  and 
some  very  interesting  ruined  portions  once  occupied  by 
the  Portuguese  conquerors. 

The  village  of  Girgaum,  to  the  south  of  the  island,  is, 
however,  the  most  picturesque  and  most  densely  popu- 
lated of  all  these  native  settlements.  No  other  part  of  the 
island  is  so  fascinating  as  night  approaches.  A  blaze  of 
light  flashing  on  the  surface  of  huge  reservoirs  of  water, 
on  citron-  and  orange-groves,  flooding  flagged  courtyards 
surrounded  with  blooming  tropical  fruits  and  flowers,  the 
brilliant  colors  and  varieties  of  dress  of  the  numerous  at- 


30  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

tendants,  male  and  female,  together  with  the  groups  formed 
by  different  parties  arriving  or  departing,  with  the  sounds 
of  all  kinds  of  music  and  midnight  revelry, — altogether 
formed  a  coup  d'ceil  which  I  can  never  forget,  and  which 
can  be  only  seen  in  a  tropical  climate.  Parts  of  this  vil- 
lage, I  am  told,  are  entirely  given  up  to  the  dissipated  and 
pleasure-seeking  youths  who  may  happen  to  be  beguiled 
by  these  outward  appearances.  It  presents  a  very  different 
aspect  in  the  morning  light ;  the  cottages  amid  its  palm- 
groves  look  so  quiet  and  secluded  that  it  is  still  more  attrac- 
tive. In  some  parts  there  are  vast  plantations  of  cocoa- 
nut  trees,  with  the  neat  little  huts,  here  and  there,  of  native 
planters  stretching  toward  a  portion  of  the  island  called 
the  Back  Bay. 

Lying  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  palm-groves  of  Maza- 
gaum,  a  fishing  village,  about  an  hour's  drive  over  a  beau- 
tiful strand  brings  us  to  an  interesting  spot  called  Breach 
Candy.  On  our  way,  especially  in  the  afternoon,  we  meet 
carriages  full  of  handsome  Parsee  ladies,  generally  bril- 
liantly attired  in  their  peculiar  costumes,  surrounded  by 
numbers  of  happy-looking  children,  taking  their  evening 
airing.  Grand  mohguls  and  nabobs,  driving  out  in  mag- 
nificent European  equipages,  drawn  by  two  and  not  infre- 
quently by  four  spirited  Arabian  horses,  pass  rapidly  by. 
At  length,  leaving  the  grand  and  princely  occupants  of  all 
these  brilliant  equipages,  we  arrive  at  a  spot  desolate  and 
yet  peaceful  beyond  description — the  cemeteries  of  the 
dead  of  all  peoples  and  all  creeds.  No  sound  is  heard. 
One  solitary  Hindoo,  robed  in  pure  white,  with  his  bare 
shaved  head,  is  praying  over  a  smouldering  spot  covered 
with  hot  ashes,  which  shows  signs  of  a  body  having  been 
recently  burned  there.  These  graves  are  separated,  it  is 
true,  but  hardly  distinguishable  from  one  another.  Deso- 
late homes  of  the  dead,  we  cannot  tell  which  are  Christian 


VISIT  TO  THE  PINJKAPOORE.  31 

and  which  pagan.  All  sleep  quietly  in  the  same  dust.  But 
kind  nature  has  decked  them  in  tender  living  green,  with 
here  and  there  a  beautiful  wild  flower,  while  the  ever- 
encroaching  sea  washes  away  every  year,  bit  by  bit,  the 
tombs  of  Hindoo,  Moslem,  Jain,  Buddhist,  and  Christian 
alike. 

There  is  one  place  that  one  should  not  miss-  seeing  in 
Bombay,  and  that  is  the  Pinjrapoore,  or  the  Jain  hospital 
for  animals.  It  is  one  of  the  most  peculiarly  Oriental 
institutions  in  the  East,  and  the  largest  to  be  found  Jn 
India — pagan  in  everything,  even  in  that  disposition  which 
has  become  almost  a  natural  instinct  to  the  Hindoos,  the 
Buddhists,  and  the  Jains,*  to  feel  respect  not  alone  for  what 
is  stronger  and  more  beautiful  than  themselves,  but  for 
what  is  weaker  and  more  helpless,  and  even  hideous. 
The  Pinjrapoore  is  situated  in  one  of  the  most  densely- 
populated  portions  of  the  native  town. 

We  were  conducted  by  two  very  civil  men,  low-caste 
Jains,  into  what  appeared  a  large  courtyard.  A  number 
of  low  sheds  and  several  other  courts  ran  all  round  it. 
I  must  confess  I  was  greatly  disappointed  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  building  itself;  it  was  mean  and  wretchedly 

*  The  Jains,  a  very  curious  sect  found  in  India  proper  to-day,  and 
known  only  to  the  learned  in  Enrope  as  the  sole  representatives  in 
Hindostan  of  the  once-numerous  adherents  to  the  tenets  of  Buddhism 
in  that  region,  hold  an  intermediate  place  between  Buddhists  and 
Brahmans,  but  approach  more  closely  to  the  Buddhists.  They  hold 
that  Mahavira  the  hero,  their  greatest  teacher,  and  the  last  of  a  number 
of  deified  spiritual  legislators  called  by  them  Tirthankaras,  was  the  pre- 
ceptor of  the  great  Gautama,  the  Buddha,  whose  followers  embrace 
nearly  three-fourths  of  the  human  race  even  to-day.  They  have,  like 
the  Brahmans,  castes,  and  abstain  most  rigorously  from  flesh  of  all 
kinds.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  like  the  Buddhists  of  Siam,  Burmah, 
Japan,  etc.,  they  disavow  the  sacredness  of  the  Vedas  and  the  Hindoo 
gods,  but  in  their  place  worship  twenty-four  sanctified  legislators  or 
Tirthankaras. 


32  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

dirty.  But  as  for  the  aspect  of  the  inmates,  it  was  at 
once  both  ludicrous  and  pathetic.  I  felt  inclined  to  laugh 
and  cry  by  turns.  Never  was  such  a  medley  of  sick  and 
aged  animals  seen  anywhere  else.  A  number  of  sick  oxen 
were  undergoing  treatment  at  the  hands  of  several  native 
physicians  who  live  near  the  hospital,  and  whose  sole  care 
is  to  attend  to  its  inmates.  One  poor  old,  lean  cow  was 
having  her  leg  dressed,  and  she  seemed  to  be  pretty  con- 
scious of  the  physician's  kind  intentions,  for  she  stood  per- 
fe^ctly  still  and  quiet  during  the  operation,  which  must 
have  lasted  an  hour  at  least.  The  other  aged  and  sick 
cattle,  some  blind,  others  scarred,  not  a  few  with  bandages 
over  their  eyes  or  with  halting  steps,  presented  a  singularly 
pathetic  sight.  We  passed  into  several  small  courtyards 
where  cats  and  dogs  and  many  aged  greyhounds  find  a 
pleasant  home.  Some  of  these  were  old  and  infirm  to 
such  a  degree  that  it  was  painful  to  look  at  them.  One 
big  dog  was  pointed  out  to  me  by  one  of  the  men  as  the 
"  bura  kahnah  wallah,"  one  who  delighted  in  big  dinners ; 
they  certainly  did  not  aid  in  fattening  him,  for  he  was  the 
leanest  creature  I  have  ever  seen. 

The  monkey  part  of  the  hospital  was  the  most  enter- 
taining. A  big  ape  supported  itself  on  crutches ;  another 
sick  inmate  was  lying  stretched  full  length  on  the  floor, 
gazing  most  piteously  into  tfie  keeper's  face.  It  seemed 
to  be  an  object  of  deep  interest  to  all  the  other  monkeys, 
who  clustered  around  it.  The  native  doctor  shook  his 
head  solemnly,  and  if  it  had  been  a  human  being  he  could 
not  have  said  more  tenderly,  "Bachara!  bachara!  whoo 
murta  hai "  ("  Poor  thing  !  poor  thing !  she  is  dying  "). 
Almost  all  of  the  infirm  inmates  looked  on  their  dying 
comrade  with  peculiar  intelligence  in  their  faces,  as  if  they 
had  a  sort  of  vague  idea  of  what  was  happening.  As  I 
looked  on,  I  could  not  doubt  but  that  each  one  had  some- 


OEIENTAL   CHAEITY.  33 

how  divined  the  meaning  of  the  doctor's  foreboding  shake 
of  the  head. 

In  these  compartments  were  collected,  as  it  almost 
seemed,  every  known  quadruped  and  biped  on  the  face 
of  the  globe.  Old  elephants,  dilapidated  buffaloes,  de- 
plumed ravens,  vultures,  and  buzzards  hobnobbed  together 
with  gray-bearded  goats  and  most  foolish-looking  old 
rams ;  rats,  mice,  rabbits,  hens,  herons,  lame  ducks,  for- 
lorn old  cocks,  and  sparrows,  jackals,  old  owls,  and  geese, 
live  here  in  harmony  side  by  side.  I  have  been  shown 
through  palaces  which  interested  me  less. 

We  waited  to  see  this  curious  medley  of  inmates  dine. 
When  the  food  which  suited  each  class  was  being  conveyed 
by  a  band  of  attendant  boys  to  their  various  pens,  troughs, 
etc.,  the  noise  and  confusion  were  deafening.  The  monkeys 
in  particular,  with  the  peacocks — birds  the  most  sacred  to 
the  Hindoos  and  Jains — raised  such  a  howl  and  were  so 
importunate  to  be  served  first  that  we  were  glad  to  escape. 
Such  is  the  extreme  limit  to  which  Oriental  charity  is  car- 
ried. At  first  sight  it  seemed  absurd  beyond  words. 

Nevertheless,  there  is  something  very  noble  and  touch- 
ing about  this  "  infirmary  "  for  the  brute  creation.  Every 
one  who  finds  any  animal  wounded,  sick,  aged,  or  dying 
is  authorized  to  bring  it  here,  and  here  it  is  really  well 
cared  for  until  death  comes  to  relieve  it  from  all  suffering. 
Who  can  estimate  the  power  of  an  institution  that  is  con- 
tinually caring  for  the  dumb  mutes  of  the  animal  king- 
dom, who  bear  not  only  man's  burdens,  but  his  harshness 
and  neglect,  with  the  patience  of  almost  sanctified  beings  ? 

In  my  first  week  in  Bombay  I  received  an  invitation  to 
a  grand  dimieivparty  to  be  given  at  the  house  of  a  rich 

East  Indian  lady,  a  Mrs.  C ,  the  widow  of  what  is 

called  in  British  India  an  uncovenanted  officer.  So  great 
is  the  prestige  attached  to  the  word  "  officer  "  in  the  East 

3 


34  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

that  every  man  is  an  officer  of  some  sort  or  other,  from 
the  brigadier  to  the  private  soldier.  A  civilian,  conse- 
quently, is  an  uncovenanted  officer,  and  as  for  the  mer- 
chants, they  are  Mohguls,  nabobs,  Badishas,  or  Kuda- 

wunds.     Mrs.  C 's   house  was  situated   near   Parel, 

formerly  "  Nonpareil,"  a  most  lovely  part  of  the  island. 
Our  carriage  drove  through  a  long  wide  avenue  of  fine 
trees,  and  brought  us  before  a  large  one-storied  stone 
building,  pillared  and  with  a  spacious  flight  of  stone  steps 
leading  to  it.  On  the  steps  were  half  a  dozen  handsomely- 
dressed  servants  in  long  flowing  white  robes  called  "an- 
grakas,"  crimson-and-gold  striped  turbans,  and  bright  blue- 
and-gold  cumberbunds,  or  scarfs,  folded  round  their  waists ; 
the  effect  was  certainly  striking.  These  salaamed  to  us, 
and  with  stately  dignity  advanced  and  helped  us  to  alight. 
We  were  then  shown  by  another  band  of  ushers,  magnifi- 
cently dressed,  into  a  sumptuously  furnished  apartment, 
where  we  laid  aside  our  light  wrappings.  A  fresh  troop 
of  dusky-hued,  richly-draped,  and  turbaned  individuals 
marshalled  us  into  the  grand  drawing-room,  where  we 
found  the  rich  widow  seated  on  a  yellow  satin  ottoman 
surrounded  by  a  bevy  of  ladies  and  gentlemen.  The 
ladies  all  wore  low-necked  dresses  of  the  most  exquisitely 
delicate  Indian  fabrics,  Chinese  crapes,  gauzes,  mulmuls, 
and  silks ;  and  some  of  them  were  young  and  beautiful. 
At  dinner  numbers  of  dusky-hued  attendants  moved 
about  us  so  softly  that  they  did  not  seem  to  touch  the 
floor  with  their  feet ;  gliding  noiselessly  in  and  out,  offer- 
ing us  costly  viands  and  sparkling  wines,  laying  down 
plates  and  removing  them  so  dexterously  as  not  to  make 
the  faintest  sound,  they  seemed  even  to  repress  their 
breathing.  Everything  was  done  with  magical  effect. 
The  punkahs  overhead  moved  softly  to  and  fro ;  the  light 
fell  from  cocoanut-oil  chandeliers  in  peculiarly  softened 


BRITISH  SUPREMACY  IN  INDIA.  35 

splendor  on  the  rare  flowers,  the  glass,  and  the  silver 
below.  Everything  went  on  with  the  ease  and  precision 
of  clockwork,  without  the  faintest  echo  of  a  click  or 
sound.  Even  those  domestics  who  did  not  wait  at  din- 
ner-table stood  with  arms  folded  across  their  breasts  under 
the  shadows  of  doors  or  pillars,  waiting  their  turn  to  serve, 
and  so  still  and  motionless  were  they  that  they  might 
almost,  save  for  the  glitter  in  their  eyes,  have  passed  for 
bronze  statues. 

They  impressed  me  very  unpleasantly,  and  that  in  spite 
of  all  the  laughter  and  merriment,  the  exaltation  of  Brit- 
ish power  and  British  supremacy  in  India.  I  had,  some- 
how, a  feeling  of  reserved  force  pervading  those  mute, 
motionless  figures  around  us,  and  I  involuntarily  felt,  for 
the  first  time,  that  it  was  a  very  solemn  affair  for  the 
Briton  to  be  in  India  luxuriating  on  her  soil  and  on  her 
spoils. 

With  those  dark,  restless  eyes  watching  every  turn, 
motion,  and  expression  of  our  faces,  in  vain  were  the 
delicious  coffee  and  the  sumptuous  dinner,  the  music  of 
the  fountains  playing  before  each  window.  I  was  anxious 
to  escape.  If  I  laughed  or  talked  or  moved,  those  dark 
eyes  seemed  to  observe  me,  even  when  they  were  seem- 
ingly fixed  on  vacancy.  If  I  had  dared,  I  believe  I 
should  have  risen  and  gone  away.  But  of  course  this 
would  have  been  a  shocking  breach  of  etiquette,  so  I  sat 
still,  hushing  secret  perturbations  and  longing  for  dinner 
to  end. 

The  conversation  continued  in  a  lively  strain.  I  noticed 
that  every  one  seemed  to  have  a  pet  theory  about  home 
government  and  how  it  could  best  be  administered ;  all  of 
which  I  was  then  too  young  to  comprehend,  but  I  did 
comprehend,  and  that  very  painfully,  that  no  one  seemed 
to  mind  those  dark,  silent,  stationary  figures  any  more 


36  LIFE  AND  TKAVEL,   IN   INDIA. 

than  if  they  had  been  hewn  out  of  stone.  On  coming 
out  of  that  house  I  drew  a  long  deep  sigh  of  relief  and 
felt  just  as  if  I  had  escaped  from  some  imminent  danger. 

There  are  no  less  than  three_government  residences  in 
the  island  of  Bombay.  One  is  within  the  walls  of  the 
fort,  used  for  holding  special  meetings  of  the  council  dur- 
bars, or  assemblies,  and  for  various  other  public  business. 
It  has  little  or  no  architectural  beauty,  and  looks  more 
like  a  stadthouse  in  a  German  free  city.  The  one  at 
Malabar  Point  is  a  charming  English  cottage,  situated 
on  a  rocky  and  well-wooded  promontory,  commanding  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  sea,  and  is  often  washed  by  the  sea- 
spray  during  stormy  weather.  The  third  is  at  Parel — a 
magnificent  building,  said  to  have  been  founded  on  the 
remains  of  an  old  Jesuit  college  which  flourished  here 
during  the  Portuguese  supremacy  in  India.  It  was 
bought  by  a  Parsee,  from  whom  it  was  purchased  by  the 
East  India  government  about  a  century  ago  and  fitted  up 
in  its  present  style.  A  noble  flight  of  stone  steps  leads  to 
the  entrance-hall,  whence  a  fine  staircase  opens  into  two 
of  the  most  spacious  rooms  I  have  ever  seen  in  Bombay, 
about  eighty  feet  long,  one  above  the  other,  and  each  very 
handsomely  furnished.  It  commands  a  fine  view  of  the 
town  and  harbor. 

There  is  a  curious  rock  at  the  extreme  point  of  Malabar 
Hill  which  is  very  difficult  to  approach  at  high  tide.  Here 
are  the  remains  of  an  ancient  Hindoo  temple,  and  a  hole 
famous  as  a  place  of  resort  for  Hindoo  devotees,  who 
endure  great  hardships  in  order  to  get  access  to  the  hole 
and  pass. through  it,  believing  that  in  doing  so  they  are 
regenerated,  born  again,  and  purified  from  all  their  sins. 

Among  the  places  worth  attention  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Bombay  are  Byculla  and  Mazagaum.  The  former  has 
a  fine  English  school-house  for  all  classes  of  children.  It 


BANYAN  TKEE. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  EARLY  PORTUGUESE.         37 

is  placed  under  the  supervision  of  a  number  of  English 
ladies  of  high  rank,  who  take  turns  in  visiting  it. 

Mazagaum  is  a  very  old  part  of  the  island  of  Bombay, 
formerly  a  fishing  village,  which  its  name  indicates,  but 
now  a  densely-populated  town,  inhabited  chiefly  by  the 
descendants  of  the  early  Portuguese  settlers.  The  Roman 
Catholic  church  here  is  a  most  venerable  and  picturesque 
building,  standing  under  the  shadow  of  great  forest  trees. 
Their  foliage  is  certainly  magnificent  beyond  description. 
The  mango,  the  tamarind,  the  graceful  peepul,  and  the 
banyan  attain  great  height  and  breadth,  and  are  covered 
with  marvellous  specimens  of  huge  parasitic  creepers  and 
plants  forming  miles  of  sheltered  walks.  The  fruit-bear- 
ing trees  come  to  great  perfection  here.  But  with  all  its 
beauty  the  spot  is  considered  so  unhealthy  that  it  is  often 
called  the  "  white  man's  grave." 

I  have  seldom  seen  a  pleasanter  sight  than  that  which 
is  presented  at  Mazagaum  on  every  Sunday  morning  in 
the  year,  when  the  whole  native  Christian  population 
turns  out  to  church  almost  simultaneously.  The  streets 
are  filled  with  handsome  women  and  children.  The 
women  in  their  long  flowing  mantles  and  costumes,  half 
Hindoo  and  half  European,  are  very  picturesque.  But 
the  men  and  boys  present  an  appearance  at  once  both 
grotesque  and  ludicrous.  Most  of  them  are  dressed  as 
Europeans,  and  not  a  few  as  English  and  Portuguese 
generals;  gold  lace,  plumed  hats,  helmets,  and  striped 
pantaloons  are  the  prevailing  fashion.  They  seem  to 
have  no  idea  of  the  fitness  of  things.  Their  passion  for 
European  dress  is  carried  to  such  an  extreme  that  I  have 
seen  a  native  *  Portuguese  sailing  down  the  lane  without 

*  The  descendants  of  the  early  Portuguese  settlers  who  have  inter- 
married with  the  Hindoos  and  other  castes  of  India,  and  now  form  a 
very  large  portion  of  the  population  of  Bombay  and  Goa. 


38  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

any  shoes  on  his  feet,  but  sporting  the  military  dress,  with 
the  cocked  hat  and  feathers,  of  some  English  general. 
This  love  of  dress  is  exceedingly  queer,  but  it  is  quite  as 
much  a  characteristic  of  the  Portuguese  men  of  education 
and  culture  in  India  as  of  the  more  ignorant  and  illiterate. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Malabar  Hill,  and  Domestic  Life  of  the  English  in  Bombay.  . 

MY  first  stay  in  Bombay  was  a  comparatively  short  one, 
and  was  spent  partly  with  friends  at  Colabah  and  partly 
in  tents  on  the  great  green  in  front  of  Fort  George. 

My  stepfather  being  connected  with  the  engineer  or  pub- 
lic works  department  at  the  military  station  of  Poonah, 
my  life  for  a  year  or  two  was  passed  at  that  strange  city. 
Upon  the  occasion  of  my  marriage,  however,  I  returned 
to  Bombay  for  a  settled  residence,  from  which  time  I  be- 
gan my  real  experience  of  life  in  India. 

We  established  ourselves  at  Malabar  Hill,  in  a  house 
completely  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  where  my 
husband  and  I  took  up  the  study  of  the  Sanskrit  and 
Hindostanee  languages.  Malabar  Hill  is  a  rocky  prom-  ~-\ 
ontory  on  the  south  of  the  island  of  Bombay,  and  covered 
with  beautiful  houses,  many  of  which  are  almost  palaces. 
At  its  highest  point,  detached  and  alone,  stands  a  lofty 
tower,  the  largest  "  dohkma,"  or  "  tower  of  silence,"  of  the 
Parsees.  Here  the  followers  of  Zoroaster  deposit  their 
dead.  It  is  rendered  not  the  less  sombre  by  the  birds  of 
prey  that  hover  around  it  in  great  numbers. 

There  are  two  other  and  smaller  towers  of  silence  on 
the  island,  all  erected  in  the  most  isolated  positions.  No 
one  is  ever  allowed  to  approach  them  save  the  Fire-priests 
and  those  who  carry  their  dead.  These  strange  towers 
or  tombs  are  mysterious,  grand,  and  barbaric  in  their  very 

39 


40  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

forms — at  their  base  screened  by  huge  branching  trees  from 
all  human  observation,  open  only  to  the  blue  sky;  the  free 
air,  and  the  gloomy  birds  of  prey  hovering  always  near. 

On  the  other  side  of  this  much-dreaded  spot,  and  not 
far  from  a  forest  of  palms  which  descends  in  graceful 
undulations  to  the  very  base  of  the  hill,  stood  a  solitary 
house,  called  by  every  one  "  Morgan's  Folly."  For  full 
ten  years  it  had  found  no  occupant.  Its  owner  and 
builder,  having  returned  to  England  with  broken  for- 
tunes and  failing  health,  had  entrusted  the  renting  of  it 
to  a  Parsee  agent.  By  a  happy  accident  this  lonely  house 
was  discovered  by  my  husband,  who  had  it  at  once  re- 
paired, furnished,  and  fitted  up  for  our  use,  and  here  we 
took  up  our  abode  after  a  few  weeks'  residence  at  Parel. 

I  wish  I  could  do  justice  to  this  singular  abode,  on  the 
portals  of  which  the  monosyllable  "  Whim "  might  fully 
be  inscribed.  It  was  the  caprice  of  a  rich  English  cotton- 
merchant,  whose  love  for  the  feathered  tribe  amounted  to 
an  absorbing  passion.  The  house  was  therefore  designed 
and  built  at  great  cost  to  serve  the  double  purpose  of  hu- 
man and  bird  habitation.  Foolish,  capricious,  extrava- 
gant, and  incorrigible  as  he  was  called  by  every  one,  I  for 
my  part  conceived  an  affection  for  this  strange  English- 
man who  built  this  fanciful  place  in  which  were  passed 
the  first  few  years  of  my  married  life. 

Two  fine  roads  led  to  the  "  Aviary,"  as  we  named  the 
house,  one  of  which  was  cut  into  the  hillside  and  descended 
to  the  base  of  the  hill,  whence  at  low  tide  you  might  step 
from  rock  to  rock  away  out  into  the  bay.  The  other  was 
connected  with  a  beautiful  road  wliich  winds  along  Mala- 
bar Hill,  affording  a  favorite  carriage-drive  for  the  resi- 
dents of  the  island. 

As  for  the  house,  it  was  the  most  curious  bit  of  archi- 
tecture one  had  ever  seen — so  fanciful,  it  seemed  more  like 


THE  AVIARY   ON  MALABAR  HILL.  41 

something  that  belonged  rather  to  the  mysterious  land  we 
visit  in  our  dreams  than  to  an  actual  house  made  of  solid 
stone  and  wood  standing  fast,  bound  to  the  hard,  dull, 
practical  earth. 

The  building  consisted  only  of  two  stories,  of  great 
length,  and  a  high  chamber,  called  the  "Teak  Tower," 
which  rose  above  the  east  corner  of  the  house  and  com- 
manded the  most  extensive  and  beautiful  views  to  be 
found  anywhere  on  the  island.  The  upper  story  was  the 
part  designed  for  human  habitation.  The  wood  of  which 
it  was  built  was  a  fine-grained  teak  and  very  durable. 
The  balcony,  running  all  around  the  upper  story,  was 
elaborately  carved.  The  lower  part  was  chiefly  of  stone 
pillars,  enclosing  a  spacious  ground-floor  united  by  screens 
of  fine  open  wire  wrought  in  Oriental  patterns  of  the 
Persian  rose  and  the  Buddhistic  lily.  The  pillars  rested 
firmly  on  broad  stone  foundations,  and  the  open  wire  walls 
let  in  all  the  wind,  rain,  and  sunshine  that  the  feathered 
inhabitants  for  whom  the  enclosure  was  intended  could 
possibly  desire. 

But  this  was  not  all :  on  the  ground-floor  of  the  hall 
flourished  some  beautiful  fruit-bearing  trees.  Right  under 
our  bedroom  chamber  stood  that  most  exquisite  of  Indian 
trees,  "  the  gold-mohur  acacia,"  with  its  rich  clusters  of 
golden  flowers ;  the  slender,  graceful  papiya,  with  its 
heavy  drooping  leaves  and  round  fruit  of  a  rich  yellow 
when  ripe,  so  much  sought  after  by  birds.  One  gigantic 
baobab,  which  had  stood  here,  no  doubt,  for  centuries,  for 
whose  growth  and  preservation  the  builder  had  made 
ample  provision  by  leaving  a  well  or  circular  opening 
through  the  lower  and  upper  stories  and  in  the  roof,  gave 
the  house  the  singular  appearance  of  growing  around  a 
great  tree.  Forcing  themselves  through  this  opening  to 
the  sky,  the  branches  of  the  baobab  shot  straight  up  on  one 


42  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

side  and  overshadowed  the  tower  chamber,  covering  it, 
after  each  rainy  season,  with  masses  of  fragrant  blossoms 
and  fine  fruit.  It  was  very  evident  that  in  the  course  of 
time  there  would  be,  possibly,  a  prolonged  but  mighty 
struggle  between  the  house  and  the  tree,  which  should  go 
first,  and  it  was  not  hard  to  tell,  for  already  the  tree  had 
found  its  way  to  the  open  sky,  and  its  branches  were  seen 
pushing  here  and  there  and  penetrating  the  woodwork  of 
the  chambers  adjoining.  There  were  one  or  two  more 
trees  that  deserve  mention.  These  were  a  beautiful  Chi- 
nese pine  and  a  heart-shaped  peepul.  The  ground-floor 
of  this  hall  was  covered  with  weeds  and  a  perfect  jungle 
of  brushwood.  The  gardener  told  me  that  it  abounded 
in  all  kinds  of  reptiles,  but  I  never  saw  any  signs  of  them 
until  some  large  snakes  were  called  out  one  morning  by  a 
party  of  samp-wallahs,  or  snake-charmers.  The  fruit 
trees  had  long  ceased  to  bear,  and  were  gradually  crowd- 
ing out  and  killing  each  other. 

All  the  more  rare  and  beautiful  birds  with  which  Mr. 
Morgan  had  stocked  this  place  had  died  or  taken  flight 
to  homes  less  confined ;  only  a  few  still  remained.  Among 
them  were  the  sooruk,  or  scarlet  breast,  an  exquisite 
singer ;  the  maina,  the  Java  sparrow,  the  bulbul  or  In- 
dian nightingale,  and  the  zeenah,  a  little  quarrelsome 
brown  and  red-spotted  bird, — all  hardy  birds.  They  lin- 
gered here,  partly  from  association  and  partly  because  of 
the  grain  still  thrown  in  and  around  the  "  Aviary  "  morn- 
ing and  evening  by  the  pious  Hindoo  employed  by  the 
Parsee  agent  to  look  after  the  garden. 

The  tower  chamber  was  our  favorite  sitting-room  be- 
cause of  its  splendid  views  and  being  removed  from  the 
noise  and  vicinity  of  our  servants.  It  was  simply  fur- 
nished— a  table,  a  few  chairs,  mostly  of  cane,  a  couple  of 
sofas  and  a  Persian  carpet,  with  gauze  nettings  to  every 


HOUSEKEEPING  IN  THE   EAST.  43 

door  and  window  to  keep  out  our  worst  foes,  the  gnats, 
flies,  and  mosquitoes.  The  rest  of  the  house  was  fur- 
nished with  the  same  severe  simplicity;  there  were  no 
curtains,  no  blinds,  no  carpets ;  the  floors  as  well  as  the 
walls  were  painted  in  subdued  half-tints,  which  gave  them 
the  air  of  being  very  handsomely  fitted  up. 

In  this  place  I  began  my  first  attempt  at  housekeeping 
in  the  East,  and  I  can  truly  say,  without  the  least  exag- 
geration, that  for  months  the  house  kept  itself  and  my 
numerous  servants  kept  me.  To  begin  with,  there  were 
too  many  servants  for  so  quiet  and  unpretending  a  house- 
hold, but  I  soon  found  it  would  be  still  more  difficult  to 
do  with  fewer :  "  dustoor"  custom,  was  flung  into  my  face 
morning,  noon,  and  night.  I  implored  my  husband  to 
send  half  of  them  away,  but  if  he  sent  one  off,  either  the 
whole  gang  disappeared  like  a  flash  or  else  the  work  of 
the  banished  servant  was  scrupulously  avoided  by  every 
one  in  the  establishment.  There  was,  in  short,  a  servant 
for  every  distinct  thing  to  be  done  in  the  house.  There 
was  a  khansamah,  or  native  butler,  a  high-caste  Hindoo, 
who  was  supposed  to  keep  all  the  servants  in  order,  but 
who  invariably  incited  a  revolution  in  the  camp  if  I 
wished  anything  to  be  done  my  way  and  not  his.  Then 
there  was  a  cook,  a  Ming  (a  name  for  a  certain  race  natives 
of  Madras),  who  got  drunk  whenever  we  happened  to  have 
friends  to  dinner;  there  was  a  cook's  mate,  who  was  in- 
clined to  be  musical  just  as  we  were  going  to  sleep ;  there 
was  a  buttee-wattah,  or  lamplighter,  a  stripling,  some  near 
relation  of  the  butler's,  whose  friends  and  relatives  were 
always  dying,  and  who  asked  permission  three  times  in 
the  course  of  a  few  months  to  be  allowed  to  go  and  bury 
his  mother.  When  I  very  gently,  because  of  his  flowing 
tears  and  doleful  expression  of  face,  reminded  him  that  he 
had  already  buried  or  burned  her  twice,  he  burst  into  a 


44  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

passionate  sob  and  said,  "  Oh !  that  one  was  my  aunt's 
mother,  and  the  last  one  my  father's  mother,  but  this  is 
my  own,  own  mother."  Of  course  I  had  to  let  him  go  off 
for  two  or  three  days,  and  the  butler  too,  who  was  also  a 
mourner.  Then  there  were  besides  these  an  ayah,  or 
lady's-maid;  a  dhoby,  or  washerman,  who  came  to  the 
house  once  a  week  for  the  clothes,  and  stayed  away  some- 
times for  three  weeks,  owing  to  that  chronic  epidemic, 
death,  in  the  family ;  a  bheestie,  who  filled  the  tubs  in  the 
bathroom  with  water,  and  did  nothing  else;  a  jarroo- 
wallah,  who  only  came  each  morning  and  swept  the  house 
and  grounds,  and  then  disappeared  till  the  next  time ;  a 
coachman,  a  groom,  a  pundit,  or  professor  of  Oriental  lan- 
guages ;  and  lastly,  a  tailor,  whose  name  was  Tom.  He, 
Tom,  was  a  Portuguese  Christian,  and  attended  to  the 
mending  of  the  household  linen  and  the  making  of  our 
clothes.  He  was  the  least  manageable  of  the  whole  lot. 
He  would  not  answer  to  the  name  "  boy,"  a  generic  name 
for  servants  in  India  and  a  corruption  of  the  Hindostanee 
word  bhai,  brother,  but  insisted  on  being  called  "Tom." 
This  put  me  very  often  into  an  awkward  position,  as  this 
was  the  familiar  name  by  which  I  had  learned  to  call  my 
husband,  not  knowing  that  there  was  another  "Tom" 
attached  to  him  from  his  bachelor  establishment.  Once 
or  twice,  forgetting  this  fact,  I  happened  to  call  "  Tom ! 
Tom !"  after  my  husband,  who  was  hurrying  off  to  town, 
when  who  should  pop  into  my  chamber  but  the  grinning 
tailor-boy,  balancing  a  pair  of  huge  scissors  on  his  right 
ear  and  with  a  number  of  needles  full  of  long  threads 
stuck  into  his  woolly  head,  which  served  him  as  a  needle- 
case  ?  There  was  nothing  left  me  but  to  change  my  hus- 
band's name. 

But  this  was  by  no  means  the  beginning  and  end  of 
my  troubles  of  housekeeping  in  Bombay.     I  happened  to 


A   DINSTER-PARTY  AT  THE  AVIARY.  45 

awake  very  early  one  Sunday  morning.  It  was  a  lovely 
sunrise :  the  first  blush  of  dawn  was  mounting  the  horizon ; 
the  trees  in  the  garden  were  unfolding  their  leaves ;  birds 
of  all  colors  were  perched  upon  their  branches  opening 
their  "  ruby  eyes  "  on  a  newly-born  day.  But  as  I  stood 
there,  entranced  with  the  beauty  of  a  tropical  sunrise,  my 
eyes  fell  on  the  figure  of  Tom  the  tailor  going  off  to  early 
mass  attired  in  my  husband's  best  dress-coat  and  an  em- 
broidered vest  which  had  been  a  chief  object  of  my  girl- 
ish admiration.  In  addition  to  these  he  sported  pointed 
shoes,  worked  stockings — one  of  the  finest  pair  in  my 
possession — and  a  frill  six  inches  deep  projecting  from  his 
shirt-front,  with  a  huge  cocked  hat,  over  which  he  held 
one  of  my  smallest  parasols  to  protect  him  from  the  mild- 
est of  morning  suns,  which  had  only  just  mounted  the  hill- 
side. When  I  remonstrated  with  him  on  his  return  from 
chapel,  he  burst  into  a  passion  of  tears  and  sobs  and  flood- 
ed me  with  such  replies  as  these :  "  Your  godship,  you  are 
my  father  and  mother ;  an  unkind,  unjust  word  from  your 
divine  voice  will  break  your  poor  slave's  heart  and  consign 
him  in  the  prime  of  his  youth  to  a  lonely  and  desolate 
grave,"  etc.  I  absolutely  began  to  feel  that  he  wras  the 
injured  party,  and  that  I  was  anything  but  a  kind,  gen- 
erous mistress  and  a  Christian.  It  ended  in  my  present- 
ing him  with  the  clothes  he  had  worn,  but  nevertheless 
he  went  about  the  house  for  days  in  a  state  of  sorrowful 
dejection  at  my  unkindness,  which  he  persisted  in  saying 
had  caused  his  heart  to  bleed  to  death. 

Not  long  after  this  in  a  rash  moment  we  resolved  to 
give  a  dinner-party  to  some  of  our  friends  in  Bombay, 

and  to  invite  the  rich  East  Indian  widow,  Mrs.  C , 

who  had  shown  us  many  kindnesses.  Never  in  my  life 
did  I  pass  through  a  more  perplexing  and  fiery  ordeal. 

The  viands  were  all  ordered  and  sent  from  town,  and 


46  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

had  arrived  in  good  season.  But  no  sooner  had  they 
been  deposited  in  the  kitchen  than  the  butler  reported,  in 
his  quiet  and  unconcerned  manner,  that  the  cook  had  gone 
off  to  town  to  get  help,  and  would  probably  not  return  in 
time  to  prepare  the  dinner.  The  butler  and  the  lamp- 
lighter were  Hindoos,  and  could  not  touch  beef  or  ham, 
or,  in  fact,  any  kind  of  flesh.  The  butler  had  no  objec- 
tion to  putting  these  articles  on  the  table  when  cooked, 
but  as  for  cooking  them,  he  would  lose  caste.  There  was 
nothing  left  to  be  done  but  for  Tom  the  tailor-boy  and  I 
— who,  being  Christians,  had  no  such  scruples — to  set 
about  and  cook  the  dinner. 

About  four  o'clock  everything  was  in  a  fair  way  toward 
being  cooked,  the  capons,  ham,  soup,  and  vegetables  were 
all  in  their  places  on  the  fire,  when  suddenly  the  cook 
returned,  looking  very  strange;  I  thought  he  was  only 
tired  and  sleepy.  He  insisted  on  taking  possession  of  the 
kitchen,  declaring  that  it  almost  broke  his  heart  to  see  me 
spoiling  my  nice  dress  and  ruining  my  complexion  over 
the  fire.  "What  am  I  good  for,"  said  he,  striking  an 
attitude  and  looking  queerer  than  ever,  "but  to  cook 
you  a  grand  dinner  and  be  your  slave  for  ever  ?"  Thus 
assured,  I  quitted  the  kitchen  with  all  the  dinner  cooking 
away  at  great  speed,  and  betook  myself  to  making  various 
other  preparations.  It  was  almost  the  dinner-hour  before 
I  was  fairly  through  with  the  glasses  and  dessert  and  a 
thousand  and  one  of  the  many  requirements  of  a  Euro- 
pean dinner-party.  No  sooner  had  I  put  the  last  touches 
to  my  toilette  than  my  husband  returned  with  two  unex- 
pected guests,  which  called  my  attention  at  once,  so  that 
I  had  no  opportunity  to  revisit  the  kitchen  to  see  that  all 
was  as  it  should  be. 

The  last  of  the  guests  had  no  sooner  arrived  than  the 
butler  threw  open  the  dining-room  door  and  announced  in 


"ACCIDENTS  WILL,  HAPPEN."  47 

a  solemn  tone,  "  Kannah  teyar  hai  Sahibloke "  ("  Dinner 
waits,  ladies  and  gentlemen"). 

We  marched  gayly  in,  eager,  happy,  and  very  hungry. 
But,  alas !  no  sooner  was  the  soup-tureen  uncovered  than 
I  divined  from  my  husband's  expression  that  something 
was  wrong.  The  soup  was  sent  away  with  some  playful 
apology,  but  when  dish  after  dish  was  set  on  the  table, 
uncovered,  and  removed  without  my  husband's  even  mak- 
ing a  pretence  of  offering  the  guests  anything  to  eat,  it  was 
too  much  for  me. 

At  this  juncture  kind-hearted  Mrs.  C came  to  my 

rescue  by  saying,  "  Let  us  all  go  off  to  the  kitchen  and 
find  out  what  is  the  matter  with  the  cook,"  and  coming  to 
my  side,  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  recover  myself,  which 
I  did  under  her  gentle  smile  and  oft-repeated  adage,  "  My 
dear,  accidents  will  happen  in  the  best  regulated  families." 

The  gentlemen  returned  from  their  survey  of  the  kitchen 
and  reported  that  the -cook  was  "drunk  and  sound  asleep 
in  the  middle  of  the  floor,"  and  that  the  remainder  of  the 
dinner  was  burnt  to  cinders,  but  still  in  the  pots  on  the 
range.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  kind-hearted  Mrs. 

C ,  I  do  not  know  what  we  should  have  done.  She 

insisted  on  our  all  driving  out  to  her  house  and  taking 
tea  with  her. 

I  must  not  omit  to  mention  another  incident  which  is 
characteristic  of  life  in  India.  My  husband  was  in  the 
commissariat  department  of  the  army,  and  had  a  great 
deal  to  do  with  native  dealers.  The  Parsees,  however, 
because  of  their  honesty,  had  the  monopoly  of  the  con- 
tracts for  supplying  the  British  troops  in  Bombay.  One 
morning  a  number  of  Boralis*  were  ushered  into  the 

*  The  Borahs  are  natives  of  Guzerat,  converted  to  Islamism  about 
five  and  a  half  centuries  ago*.  They  are  remarkable  for  their  extraor- 
dinary intelligence  in  trade.  The  name  "  Borah  "  signifies  merchant 


48  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

"  Aviary,"  and  laid  before  me  on  the  table  what  seemed 
to  be  a  tray  filled  with  sugar  candy,  raisins,  and  almonds. 
Not  understanding  the  meaning  of  this  gift,  and  not  hav- 
ing quite  outgrown  my  love  for  sweets,  I  took  up  a  hand- 
ful of  the  good  things,  when,  to  my  surprise,  I  found 
lying  below  the  candy  a  number  of  gold  coins  called 
"mohurs."  I  hastened  to  inform  my  husband  of  the 
magnificent  present  waiting  for  him,  but  he  no  sooner 
heard  of  it  then  he  turned  the  Borahs  out,  tray  and  all. 
It  was  simply  an  attempt  to  obtain  contracts  by  bribery. 
The  Borahs  seemed  in  no  way  discomfited ;  they  bowed 
most  politely  on  my  husband's  prompt  dismissal,  and  de- 
parted as  if  it  were  with  them  no  unusual  occurrence  to 
be  turned  out  of  doors. 

Such  are  some  few  of  the  most  prominent  features  of 
housekeeping  and  life  in  India. 

The  native  servants  have  some  good  points,  however. 
They  will  rarely  quit  your  service,  even  to  better  their 
fortunes,  unless  driven  away.  They  contrive,  too,  to  have 
their  own  way  without  ever  being  disrespectful  to  you. 
They  bow  or  salaam  at  all  times,  move  so  softly  about  the 
house  with  bare  feet  that  you  hardly  ever  know  that  they 
are  there,  and,  on  the  whole,  they  attend  pretty  well  to 
their  own  peculiar  province  in  the  household ;  but  as  for 
helping  in  what  is  not  their  province,  it  is  not  to  be 
expected. 

They  are  never  away  a  day  except  for  sudden  deaths, 

in  the  Guzerati  dialect.  These  Borahs  are  a  distinct  sect,  followers  of 
one  Moolah  Allih,  who  is  buried  in  the  old  city  of  Cambay.  They 
pay  reverence  to  Mohammed  Hussain,  called  in  the  records  of  the 
Crusaders  "The  Prince  of  the  Assassins"  and  also  "the  Old  Man  of 
the  Mountains."  They  transmit  a  fifth  of  their  gains  to  the  Saiyads 
of  Medinah,  and  pay  eleemosynary  contributions  to  the  chief  of  their 
learned  men,  who  distribute  alms  among  the  poor.  (See  Asiatic  Re~ 
searches,  paper  by  H.  T.  Colebrook.) 


OUR  PUNDIT,   GOVIND.  49 

which  take  place  in  the  various  branches  of  their  friends 
or  relatives  once  a  week,  on  an  average.  They  are  always 
clean,  arrayed  in  their  long  flowing  white  robes  and  hand- 
some turbans,  and  they  never  address  you  without  some 
flattering  or  grandiloquent  phrase,  which  helps  not  a  little 
to  smooth  over  your  wounded  pride. 

Our  pundit,*  Govind,  was  not  a  servant,  but  a  high- 
bred gentleman.  He  came  to  the  "  Aviary  "  morning  and 
evening  to  give  us  lessons  in  Hindostanee  and  Sanskrit. 
He  was  a  learned  high-caste  Brahman  and  a  remarkably 
interesting  specimen  of  a  Hindoo  gentleman. 

Almost  directly  to  the  right  of  the  "  Aviary  "  was  the 
government  summer-house  already  mentioned ;  just  oppo- 
site, situated  on  the  summit  of  a  steep  acclivity  overlook- 
ing the  sea,  was  a  grand  stone  house,  the  home  of  our^ 
Parsee  friend  and  commissariat  contractor.  On  the  west, 
embowered  in  a  thick  grove  of  mango  and  tamarind  trees, 
was  the  prettiest  of  little  Hindoo  villages,  the  village  of 
Walkeshwar,  sacred  to  the  god  of  the  strand  or  beach. 

We  spent  a  day  here  on  a  certain  festal  occasion  accom- 
panied by  Govind,  our  pundit.  We  lunched  under  the 
porch  of  the  Hindoo  temple  by  permission  obtained 
through  our  pundit.  Perfectly  nude  dusky  children  were 
clambering  about  the  stones  watching  us  with  eager  curi- 
osity. Our  visit  here  was  to  witness  the  feast  of  Rama,  the 
hero  of  one  of  the  Hindoo  epic  poems,  Ramay&na,  and 
his  wife,  Seeta,  which  did  not  begin  until  the  afternoon. 
Hindoo  women,  black-eyed  and  singularly  graceful  in 
their  movements,  adorned  with  gayly-colored  robes  and 
most  antique-looking  bracelets  and  armlets,  went  to  and 
from  the  pool,  still  called  "  Rama  Talai,"  or  Rama's  Pool, 
bearing  water  in  jars  piled  in  tiers  on  their  heads,  others 
bathing  and  frolicking  in  the  pool.  There  were  at  the 

*  A  professor  of  Sanskrit  or  other  branches  of  Indian  literature. 
4 


50  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

same  time  some  dozen  Brahman  priests  at  prayer,  seem- 
ingly abstracted  from  the  scenes  around  them,  going 
through  with  all  kinds  of  motions  with  their  bodies  while 
their  lips  moved  incessantly,  but  inaudibly,  in  prayer  and 
praise.  Our  pundit  told  us  that  this  was  the  traditional  spot 
where  the  hero  Rama  rested  when  on  his  way  to  Lanka 
(Ceylon)  to  recover  from  the  tyrant  Rawana  his  beautiful 
wife,  Seeta. 

The  Rama  Talai  stands  in  a  group  of  small  temples — 
some  of  which  are  very  pretty — surrounded  by  gardens. 
About  two  in  the  afternoon  the  officiating  priests  began  to 
arrive,  followed  by  thousands  of  Hindoos.  The  doors  of 
the  temple  were  thrown  open  to  all  comers.  The  priests 
placed  themselves  at  the  foot  of  the  shrines,  on  each  of 
,which  were  several  idols — Siva,  the  chief  god,  above,  and 
Rama  and  Seeta  below.  The  people  poured  forth  their 
offerings  to  the  priests.  Those  who  could  not  get  into  the 
temples  pressed  around  the  sacred  pool,  throwing  them- 
selves into  its  holy  waters  and  coming  out  free  from  all 
impurities.  A  great  many  young  women  with  peculiarly 
interesting  faces  were  kneeling  outside  of  the  temples  and 
praying,  with  their  eyes  closed  and  their  hands  folded,  for 
some  especial  blessing.  It  was  an  interesting  sight,  but  for 
the  fakeers  and  gossains,  who  make  a  disgusting  spectacle 
of  themselves,  and,  strange  to  say,  are  encouraged  by  the 
pure,  mild,  and  modest  Brahman  priests  to  do  so.  As  it 
was,  we  returned  home  shocked  with  the  nudity  and  filth 
of  these  sacred  beggars,  but  very  much  impressed  with 
the  perfectly  pure  and  religious  nature  of  the  Hindoos, 
who  have  very  beautiful  forms  and  faces,  and  even  those 
that  are  not  absolutely  beautiful  have  so  much  grace  and 
gentleness  about  them  that  they  attract  the  eye  and  re- 
main impressed  on  the  memory  with  something  of  the 
charm  of  a  beautiful  painting. 


BUNDER  BOAT. 


CHAPTER    III. 

The  Island  of  Shashtee,  commonly  called  Salsette. — Gharipoore,  "  the 
Town  of  Purification,"  or  the  Island  and  Caves  of  Elephanta. 

EARLY  one  morning,  after  almost  a  week's  preparation 
for  the  trip,  we  found  ourselves  in  a  large  roomy  bunder- 
boat  flying  before  the  wind  straight  for  the  beautiful  island 
of  Salsettej.  which  lies  to  the  north  and  is  united  to  the 
smaller  island  of  Bombay  by  a  causeway  erected  during 
the  administration  of  Governor  Duncan,  chiefly  to  enable 
the  natives  of  the  larger  islands  to  bring  their  produce  to 
the  Bombay  markets. 

Presently  we  entered  upon  a  wonderful  river,  flowing 
through  the  land  out  of  the  sea  and  dividing  this  island 
from  the  continent,  at  the  very  mouth  of  which  are  the 
bleak,  barren  island  and  mountains  of  Trombav^  the  latter 
rising  up  nine  hundred  feet  high.  We  passed  along  reefs 
of  gold,  now  over  wide  swamps,  our  boat  riding  above  and 
crushing  down  the  tall  waving  grass,  and  anon  we  would 
suddenly  shoot  almost  within  touch  of  dark  hollow  caverns, 
and  looking  up  see  the  high  beetling  cliffs  piled  one  above 
the  other,  surmounted  by  the  ruins  of  some  of  old  Portu- 
guese or  Mahratta  forts  or  castles,  covered  with  wild  flowers 
and  huge  creeping  plants.  The  scenes  along  the  banks  of 
this  river  are  wild  and  romantic  enough  to  satisfy  the  most 
enthusiastic  lover  of  nature.  We  cast  anchor  at  length  at 
Tannah,  having  reached  "a  land  all  sun  and  blossom,  trees 
as  high  as  heaven,  amid  every  bird  that  sings." 

Tannah,  the  chief  town  of  the  island  of  Salsette,  was 

51 


52  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

taken  by  the  troops  of  the  East  India  Company  in  the 
year  1774,  and  by  a  treaty  then  entered  into  the  Mah- 
ratta  king,  Raghu  Nauth,  ceded  in  perpetuity  to  the  com- 
pany Bassein  with  its  dependencies,  the  island  of  Salsette, 
the  entire  districts  of  Jainbhosir  and  other  valuable  prov- 
inces adjoining  it  in  Guzerat.  It  is  chiefly  inhabited  by 
Roman  Catholic  Christians,  the  majority  of  whom  are  con- 
verts from  Hindooism.  The  interior  of  the  island  is  in- 
habited by  a  peculiar  tribe  of  peasants  who  are  to  this  day 
in  a  condition  as  wild  as  the  Bheels  and  Konds  of  Guzerat 
and  Central  India.  These  peasants  are  burners  of  char- 
coal ;  they  dwell  together  among  the  hills,  but  apart  from 
all  other  tribes,  and  have  neither  intercourse  nor  any  social 
bond  with  the  Hindoos  of  the  plain.  At  stated  times  they 
bring  down  their  loads  of  charcoal  in  rude  carts  drawn  by 
buffaloes  to  particular  spots,  whence  it  is  carried  away  by 
the  Hindoo  or  Portuguese  buyer,  who,  according  to  a  set- 
tled custom  among  them,  deposits  in  its  place  rice,  clothing, 
and  iron  tools.  This  excessive  shyness  is  said  to  be  owing 
to  the  contempt  in  which  the  natives,  as  outcasts,  are  held 
by  their  Hindoo  neighbors. 

We  were  met  on  our  landing  by  a  very  polite  and 
obliging  native  Portuguese,  the  elder  brother  of  my  hus- 
band's tailor  Tom,  in  whose  company  we  walked  about 
the  town  and  at  whose  house  we  stayed  during  our  visit. 

Tannah,  the  chief  town  of  the  island  of  Salsette,  takes 
its  name  from  the  beautiful  river  which  flows  at  its  base, 
and  which  was  anciently  called  Tainnah-D&o,  "  the  Limb 
of  God."  It  runs  deep  and  narrow  in  front  of  the  town. 
It  is  a  place  of  great  antiquity,  probably  dating  back  to 
the  days  of  Vicramaditya,  of  whose  universal  and  benef- 
icent rule,  57  B.  C.,  tradition  is  yet  eloquent  throughout 
India.  The  ruins  here  are  few  and  not  very  interesting. 
There  are  some  massive  walls  of  a  great  square  building 


A  VISIT  TO  THE   GOVERNMENT  PRISON.  53 

that  was  once  a  Mahratta  citadel,  and  some  ponderous  old 
arches  that  have  fallen  and  are  now  covered  with  beautiful 
wild  creepers ;  also  a  Hindoo  temple,  a  vast,  shapeless  mass 
of  architecture,  but  almost  animate  with  the  innumerable 
gods  and  goddesses  that  grin  and  smirk  at  one  from  every 
cornice  and  entablature  of  the  building.  There  is  here  a 
small  but  perfect  little  fortress,  from  which,  during  the 
last  Mahratta  war,  the  famous  Trimbukjee  escaped,  occu- 
pied by  a  small  European  garrison.  The  government 
prison  is  also  well  worth  visiting.  "We  were  surprised  to 
see  the  manner  in  which  the  prisoners  of  all  ranks,  creeds, 
and  nationalities  worked  together  within  these  walls.  Most 
of  the  prisoners,  however,  were  of  the  Takhor  race.  They 
were  busily  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  very  valuable 
striped  cotton  stuffs  much  prized  by  the  natives  for  scarfs, 
cumberbunds,  and  waist-cloths. 

The  cavern  temples  that  are  found  in  this  island  are 
the  chief  objects  of  interest. 

On  the  morning  following  our  arrival,  furnished  with 
two  guides  and  accompanied  by  our  pundit,  we  started 
off  to  visit  some  of  these  remarkable  excavations  in  the 
mountains  that  stretch  across  the  middle  of  this  island. 
At  first,  the  road,  though  very  narrow  and  rugged,  lies 
through  a  most  beautiful  valley  formed  by  hills  of  mod- 
erate height,  covered  with  forests  to  their  summits,  with 
here  and  there  patches  of  bare  rock,  while  the  ravines  and 
the  valley  itself  were  planted  with  groves  of  mangoes  and 
several  varieties  of  the  palm.  For  some  time  we  saw  but 
few  traces  of  inhabitants ;  we  passed  during  a  ride  of  more 
than  eight  miles  but  one  small  village,  a  collection  of  most 
miserable-looking  huts,  a  few  half-starved  looking  chil- 
dren, and  a  troop  of  pariah  dogs,  who  rushed  out  to  bark 
at  us. 

At  another  small  village,  named  Vlar^we  came  upon 


54  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

what  seemed  a  jungle,  open  in  some  parts  and  in  others 
densely  thick,  abounding  in  hyenas,  tigers,  panthers,  and 
the  wild-boar ;  passing  through  this  'with  anything  but 
pleasurable  feelings,  we  reached  Toolsej,  named  after  a 
famous  Hindoo  goddess  who,  like  the  Greek  Clytie,  loved 
some  Hindoo  god,  and  was  by  him,  out  of  pity  for  her 
unrequited  passion,  transformed  into  the  beautiful  toolsey- 
plant,  whence  her  name.  This  is  a  lovely  spot,  encircled 
with  hills,  the  highest  of  which  is  Khennari,  its  face  per- 
forated with  no  less  than  one  hundred  cavern  temples. 
Under  a  fine  banyan  tree  which  stands  in  an  open  plain 
we  passed  the  night.  In  northern  latitudes  one  can  form 
no  idea  of  the  peculiar  beauty  of  the  night  with  a  bright 
moon  shining  overhead. 

Almost  at  dawn  next  morning  we  set  off  for  the  tem- 
ples. The  ascent  to  the  Khennari  Hills  is  somewhat 
steep  and  difficult,  but  after  a  hard  climb  we  gained  a 
platform,  and  was  confronted  by  a  stone  porch  leading 
into  an  arched  cavern  temple  of  great  majesty  and  beauty. 
These  cavern  temples  are  scattered  over  both  sides  of  a 
high  rocky  hill  at  many  different  elevations,  consisting  of 
no  less  than  six  stories  or  tiers  of  caverns,  of  various  sizes 
and  forms,  all  excavated  out  of  the  rocky  surface  of  the 
mountain  and  connected  with  each  other  by  narrow  stone 
steps  cut  in  the  rock.  The  facades  and  great  court  are 
most  imposing. 

Entering  through  a  fine  lofty  portico,  we  saw  a  little  to 
the  left  hand  a  curious  octagonal  pillar,  detached  from  the 
rock  and  surmounted  by  three  well-carved  lions  seated 
back  to  back.  Passing  this,  we  were  suddenly  introduced 
into  an  elaborately  carved  vestibule,  at  the  end  of  which 
is  a  colossal  statue  of  Buddha,  with  his  hands  raised  in 
the  attitude  of  benediction.  The  stone  screen  which  here 
separates  the  vestibule  from  the  body  of  the  temple  is 


MAUSOLEUM  OP  AN  EARLY   DISCIPLE  OF   BUDDHA.  55 

covered  with  a  row  of  male  and  female  figures  half  nude ; 
the  expression  of  the  faces  of  these  figures  is  remarkably 
calm  and  thoughtful,  and  the  whole  is  executed  with  con- 
siderable spirit.  Above  them  the  rocks  are  carved  into  a 
profusion  of  graceful  sculptures. 

The  great  temple  or  cave  is  divided  into  three  aisles 
by  regular  colonnades  of  octagonal  pillars;  of  these,  the 
twelve  on  each  side  nearest  the  entrance  are  ornamented 
with  exquisitely  carved  bases  and  capitals  in  the  style  usual 
in  Indian  temples.  The  arch  of  the  vault  is  occupied  by 
a  dagoba  or  mausoleum,  perhaps  of  some  early  disciple  of 
Buddha.  It  is  cylindrical  in  the  shaft  and  surmounted  by 
a  cupola.  On  the  right  and  left  of  the  portico  are  two 
colossal  figures  of  Buddha,  perhaps  twenty  feet  in  height.* 
The  ceiling  of  this  cave  is  arched  semicircularly  and  or- 
namented with  slender  ribs  of  fine  teak-wood,  disposed  as 
if  for  the  support  of  the  ponderous  dome  overhead,  but 
in  reality  for  the  floral  decorations  which  on  solemn  occa- 

*  The  following  extract  from  Dr.  Bird's  Caves  of  Western  India  may 
prove  interesting  to  the  curious  reader: 

"  The  tope  (a  monument  erected  over  a  Buddhist  relic,  sometimes 
resembling  a  pagoda)  at  Khanari  was  opened  by  me  in  1839.  The 
largest,  being  selected  for  examination,  was  penetrated  from  above  to 
the  base,  which  was  built  of  stone.  In  this  tope  the  workmen  found 
two  small  copper  urns,  in  one  of  which  were  a  ruby,  a  pearl,  and  a 
small  piece  of  gold  mixed  with  the  ashes.  In  this  urn  there  was  also 
a  small  gold  box  containing  a  piece  of  cloth ;  and  in  the  other  ashes 
(probably  of  some  cremated  saint)  and  a  silver  box  were  also  found. 
Outside,  a  circular  stone  was  found,  and  to  it  were  fixed  two  copper 
plates  in  the  Salh  or  cave  characters.  The  inscriptions  read  thus: 
'  Whatever  meritorious  acts  proceed  from  cause  of  these  the  source 
Tathagata  (Buddha)  has  declared  ;  the  opposing  principle  of  these  the 
great  one  of  golden  origin  has  also  demonstrated  ; '  or,  in  other  words, 
Whatever  merit  may  proceed  from  these  acts,  Buddha  has  explained  its 
source  to  you,  and  also  the  opposite  principle  of  these  acts ;  he  has  also 
demonstrated  to  you  the  one  of  golden  origin.  This  discovery  estab- 
lishes the  fact  that  these  caves  are  of  Buddhist  origin,  and  probably 
date  from  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era." 


56  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

sions  were  hung  from  them.  A  flight  of  steps  cut  into 
the  same  mountain  leads  by  various  intricate  paths  to 
smaller  caves  or  cells,  consisting  only  of  a  portico  and  two 
small  chambers,  with  everywhere  seats  for  the  disciples  or 
the  recluse  cut  into  the  rock.  To  each  cave  there  is  a  cis- 
tern for  the  preservation  of  rain-water,  some  larger  and 
more  elegantly  carved  and  finished  than  others.  The 
whole  appearance  of  this  excavated  hill  of  Khennari  is 
that  of  a  Buddhist  monastic  city,  the  cells  and  temples, 
the  apartments  and  cisterns,  hewn  in  the  rocky  sides  of 
the  mountain. 

On  Sunday  we  attended  the  Roman  Catholic  church, 
which  is  a  stone's  throw  from  the  home  of  our  Portuguese 
friends.  Early  on  Sunday  morning  the  streets  were  filled 
with  men,  women,  and  children,  entirely  of  the  Portuguese 
population.  The  men  were,  with  a  few  exceptions,  quietly 
dressed  in  the  ordinary  European  attire,  which  the  ma- 
jority don  only  on  stated  occasions,  with  the  black  silk  hat 
of  modern  fashion,  carrying  prayer-books,  fans,  and  foot- 
stools of  the  ladies  of  their  party.  It  was  a  pleasant  sight. 
The  Portuguese  here  are  entirely  independent  of  the  Ro- 
mish Church,  and  from  simple  contact  have  adopted  the 
mode  of  life  and  a  great  many  superstitions  of  the  Hin- 
doos. One  finds  everywhere  in  India  not  only  Hindoo- 
ized  Mohammedans,  but  Hindooized  Christians.  Their 
priests  are  natives  of  the  country,  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  archbishop  of  Goa,  who  is  a  sort  of  Indian  pope. 
Their  worship  is  so  much  more  pagan  than  Christian  that 
when  in  a  Roman  Catholic  church  in  any  part  of  India 
one  finds  it  difficult  to  believe  that  it  is  not  the  worship 
of  Khrishna  or  Brahm. 

The  native  Portuguese  are  darker  than  the  darkest  of 
the  better  class  of  Indians,  showing  a  mixed  and  degener- 
ate race. 


KOMAN   CATHOLICISM   IN   INDIA.  57 

I  accompanied  our  host  and  his  family  to  church.  The 
children  were  charming  with  their  little  pink  trowsers, 
lace  over-slips,  pink  shoes,  and  were  adorned  with  jewels ; 
the  only  difference  between  the  dresses  of  the  little  boy 
and  the  girls  was  that  the  boy  sported  a  hat  like  that 
seen  in  the  pictures  of  Bonaparte,  which  gave  him  a  most 
whimsical  air,  and  the  little  girls  had  white  handkerchiefs 
tied  neatly  under  their  chins.  I  took  little  Marium's 
hand,  and  off  we  went ;  looking  toward  the  deep  flowing 
river,  I  saw  a  string  of  Brahman  priests  marching  sol- 
emnly along  the  steep  banks  preparatory  to  beginning 
their  morning  services,  for  our  Sabbath  is  also  their  day 
of  sacrifice  and  prayer  to  Suriya,  the  sun-god.  I  was 
very  much  tempted  to  abandon  my  Christian  friends  and 
follow  the  Brahman  priests,  but  I  restrained  myself,  and 
was  soon  within  the  temple  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  say  de- 
signedly the  temple  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  was  crowded  with 
images — perhaps  one  ought  to  say  idols — of  God  the 
Father,  Christ  the  Son,  the  Virgin  Mother,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  besides  quantities  of  relics,  sacred  vessels,  tapers, 
candles,  incense-burners  swinging  from  the  roof,  flowers 
both  natural  and  artificial,  and  all  kinds  of  beads  and 
shells  on  the  altar.  High  above  the  altar  was  a  great  por- 
celain figure  of  the  Virgin  jewelled  and  crowned  as  queen 
of  heaven,  with  her  arms  stretched  out  in  benediction. 

We  pressed  in.  The  service  had  not  begun.  All  the 
men,  women,  and  children  prostrated  themselves — some  at 
full  length ;  others,  being  crowded  for  room,  squatted 
down  and  touched  the  brick  pavement  with  their  out- 
spread open  palms  and  then  their  foreheads ;  after  which 
the  rich,  among  whom  were  classed  my  friends,  took  their 
seats,  and  the  crowd  remained  kneeling  on  the  bare  floor. 
Presently  the  priests,  of  whom  there  were  no  less  than  a 
dozen,  appeared,  gaudily  dressed  in  tinsel  and  lace,  and 


58  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

took  their  places  before  the  altar,  keeping  their  heads 
covered.  Now  the  service  began,  which  consisted  of  some 
chants  in  a  kind  of  Latin  known  only  to  the  priests,  and 
not  fully  understood  even  by  them,  with  dressings  and 
undressings,  perpetual  genuflexions,  turning  from  the 
altar  to  the  people,  swinging  of  censers,  marching  and 
countermarching  with  the  baby  figure  of  Christ  and  a 
pretty  wax  doll  which  represented  the  mother ;  these  the 
men,  women,  and  children  kissed  with  apparently  genuine 
pleasure.  This  done,  boys  dressed  as  angels  in  long  white 
robes  and  with  wings  attached  to  their  shoulders,  entered, 
each  bearing  a  lighted  candle  and  a  lily,  as  do  the  Buddh- 
ists at  prayer,  chanting  some  beautiful  hymn,  of  which  no 
one  understood  a  word,  and  even  the  music  was  wild  and 
Oriental.  Then  finally  came  the  ringing  of  multitudinous 
little  bells  (another  Buddhist  custom  when  about  to  ex- 
hibit a  tooth  or  any  other  relic  of  Buddha),  and  up  rose 
the  Host,  as  large  as  an  ordinary  fan,  composed  of  glutin- 
ous rice.  In  the  centre  was  a  white  spot,  and  around  it 
rays  of  gold  proceeding  outward.  All  fell  upon  their 
faces ;  little  Marium  and  I  alone  were  the  lookers-on,  but 
suddenly  my  gentle  hostess  gave  her  little  daughter  a  vig- 
orous push,  which  sent  her  head  foremost  to  the  floor, 
whispering,  "  The  body  of  God  !  "  I  bowed  my  head  out 
of  respect  for  the  poor  human  hearts  that  worshipped  here, 
and  not  without  a  deep  sense  of  humiliation  at  witnessing 
the  complicated  and  ingenious  ceremonies  by  which  these 
ecclesiastics,  an  outgrowth  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  culti- 
vate and  foster  the  credulity  and  ignorance  of  the  people, 
whom  they  teach  to  rely  more  on  certain  forms  and  the 
supernatural  agencies  of  the  Virgin  and  relics  of  deceased 
saints  than  upon  religious  and  moral  truths.  After  the 
"body  of  God"  a  bone  of  some  martyred  Indian  saint 
who  had  been  converted  to  Christianity  was  held  up  for 


THE  ISLAND  OF  ELEPHANTA.  59 

adoration  ;  again  the  people  bowed  down ;  and  then  came 
the  end,  the  benediction,  amid  more  ringing  of  bells  and 
swinging  of  censers. 

Who  can  witness  these  imbecilities  and  not  hold  the  na- 
tive Portuguese  clergy  accountable  for  withholding  the 
true  knowledge,  the  simple  teachings  of  Jesus,  the  true 
Bread  of  life,  and  for  substituting  superstitions  and  page- 
antries not  one  whit  superior  to,  but  in  some  respects  even 
more  degrading  than,  the  most  debasing  paganism  which 
they  have  supplanted  ?  Forms  are  the  same,  the  names 
alone  have  been  changed ;  otherwise,  the  Roman  Catholic- 
ism I  have  everywhere  witnessed  in  India  is  essentially  the 
same  as  the  lowest  forms  of  paganism. 

Before  dawn  next  morning  we  took  leave  of  our  kind 
friends,  and  in  our  comfortable  bunder-boat  started  for  the 
island  of  Elephanta,  or  Gharipooie,  After  a  couple  of 
hours  or  more  of  pleasant  sailing  we  reached  the  island. 
I  found  it  larger  and  more  beautiful  than  I  had  expected. 
A  good  part  of  it  is  under  cultivation,  especially  all  around 
a  village  of  tolerable  size,  above  which  a  couple  of  clearly- 
defined  hills  rise  from  the  sea  to  a  considerable  height. 
The  view  as  you  ascend  to  the  right  is  simply  magnificent : 
the  twin  mountains  seem  to  be  knit  together  by  a  grand 
old  forest,  the  one  rising  slightly  higher  than  the  other. 
The  name  "  Elephanta  "  was  given  to  it,  some  say,  by  the 
Greeks,  others  by  the  Portuguese  conquerors ;  however  that 
may  be,  the  name  of  the  caves  was  anciently  "  Ghari- 
poore,"  or,  "the  Town  of  the  Rock,"  or,  according  to 
some,  "the  Town  of  Purification." 

We  ascended  a  long  flight  of  stone  steps,  in  the  wake 
of  a  party  of  fakeers,  Hindoo  priests,  and  half-nude  men 
beating  tomtoms,  which  at  length  brought  us  to  a  very 
handsome  and  spacious  platform  shaded  with  some  fine 
old  trees. 


60  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

Here  the  party  of  Hindoo  priests,  drummers,  and  fa- 
keers  sat  down  to  rest,  while  we  went  on  a  short  distance 
and  reached  the  entrance  to  the  famous  caves  of  Ele- 
phanta.  The  principal  cave  is  of  great  extent,  excavated 
out  of  the  solid  rock ;  the  colossal  columns  of  the  portico 
seem  to  hold  up  the  mountain  above  them.  On  either 
side  of  the  entrance  great  creepers  come  down  in  heavy 
masses  over  the  mountain.  Rows  and  rows  of  columns 
handsomely  ornamented  appear  within,  growing  beauti- 
fully less  in  the  distance  and  vanishing  amid  gloomy 
shadows  and  a  thousand  fantastic  shapes.  The  gateway 
or  porch  is  still  in  excellent  preservation ;  it  leads  directly 
through  the  heart  of  the  mountain.  The  different  shrines, 
which  contain  objects  of  Hindoo  worship,  are  placed  on 
each  side.  In  the  centre  there  is  seen  by  the  light  of 
torches  a  majestic  altar  of  stone,  now  in  a  state  of  decay, 
supporting  a  gigantic  bust  of  three  noble  heads,  two  of 
which  are  in  profile.  The  Hindoo  Trinity,  Maha  DSo,  the 
Great  God,  commonly  called  Brahm,  the  Hindoo  Creator, 
occupies  the  centre  in  full  relief.  The  eyes  are  half  closed, 
the  expression  serene  and  tranquil.  It  seems  to  be  carved 
from  a  living  model,  and  is  a  perfect  Oriental  ideal  of 
masculine  beauty,  with  the  delicate  and  refined  outline  of 
the  features  and  the  deep  contemplation  expressed  in  those 
large  downcast  eyes.  The  forehead  is  crowned  with  a 
lofty  diadem  exquisitely  carved,  not  unlike  the  mitres 
worn  by  the  bishops  of  the  Roman  Church ;  the  right 
arm,  which  is  very  much  broken,  once  grasped  the  head 
of  a  cobra  da  capello,  which,  our  pundit  explained  to  us, 
here  typifies  in  its  sublimest  sense  the  masculine  or  crea- 
tive energy  of  the  world. 

Siva,  to  whom  this  cavern  temple  is  said  to  be  dedicated, 
and  who  is  seen  in  another  compartment  with  his  consort 
Parvati,  with  a  chaplet  of  skulls  round  his  neck,  eight- 


v&£  .:. '•»••••'.. ' 


TEIMOUETEI,   THE  GEEAT  THEEE-IN-ONE.  61 

handed,  and  bearing  the  cobra,  and  whose  name  in  San- 
skrit signifies  either  happiness  or  pleasure,  is  seen  in  profile 
on  the  right.  In  a  hand  outstretched  from  the  altar  he 
also  grasps  a  cobra,  but  with  its  hood  extended  wide.  In 
his  hand  the  character  *of  the  symbol  is  transformed  with 
the  god  into  that  of  the  avenger  or  destroyer.  The  god's 
mouth  is  distorted  with  grimaces,  and  he  puts  out  the  tip 
of  his  tongue,  by  which,  according  to  our  pundit  and 
guide,  he  mocks  at  the  sensualist,  and  says  as  plainly  as 
our  Bible,  "  The  wages  of  sin  is  death." 

On  the  left  side  of  Maha  Deo  is  Vishnu,  in  the  grand 
character  of  preserver;  the  head  is  very  noble  and  the 
face  of  no  common  beauty ;  it  wears  a  tender  and  smiling 
expression.  He  no  longer  holds  the  symbol  at  once  of 
masculine  creative  energy  and  of  sensuality,  but  a  peculiar 
oblong  lotos-shaped  cup  or  flower,  the  higher  and  purer 
symbol  of  maternity.  Our  pundit  gave  this  wonderful 
bit  of  sculpture,  which  reaches  from  the  low  altar  to  the 
ceiling  of  the  temple,  the  name  of  "Maha  Trimourtri, 
the  Great  Three-in-One."  By  some  it  is  called  Bhava 
Natria,  "Love  threefold."  Whatever  else  it  may  be 
called,  it  certainly  makes  a  wonderful  impression  seen 
high  above  from  the  principal  aisle,  guarded  on  all  sides 
by  gigantic  and  well-proportioned  caryatides.  The  shape 
of  the  largest  cave  is  cruciform  and  resembles  the  plan  of 
an  ancient  basilica. 

The  massiveness  and  strength  of  the  pillars,  which  find 
their  deep  foundations  in  the  earth  below,  supporting  the 
elephant-shaped  mountain  above,  is  rendered  more  and 
more  striking  by  the  thousand  and  one  scenes  of  Hindoo, 
and  particularly  Saivic,*  mythology,  in  part  solemn  and 

*  The  Saivi  Hindoos  are  those  who  worship  Siva  or  Shiva,  one  of 
the  Brahman  Trinity,  as  chief  god  ;  the  lingam  or  phallus  is  sacred  to 
him.  Their  chief  act  of  worship  is  performed  on  the  fourteenth  night 


62  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

majestic,  and  in  part  grotesque  and  absurd,  that  fill  every 
part  of  the  walls ;  gods  and  goddesses,  heroes  and  .mon- 
sters, almost  stand  out  of  the  rocks.  Here  are  carved 
strong  and  clear  the  story  of  the  babe  Krishna  and  the 
slaughter  of  the  infants  by  his  uncle  Cansa.  Everywhere 
are  curious  and  venerable  specimens  of  sculpture,  which, 
though  shamefully  mutilated  in  parts,  still  show  so  high 
an  advance  in  art,  and  possess  so  indescribable  an  aspect 
of  animated  life,  that  one  half  expects  the  stone  figures  to 
move  or  to  speak.  A  great  number  of  the  pillars  have 
been  undermined  by  the  accumulation  of  water  in  the  cav- 
ern temple ;  the  capitals  of  some  and  parts  of  the  shafts 
of  others  remain  suspended  from  the  ceiling  like  huge 
stalactites.  Enormous  creepers  and  trees  have  forced 
themselves  through  certain  cracks  and  crevices  in  the 
mountain,  and  the  whole  scene  is  very  wild  and  pagan ; 
which  enhances  the  beauty  and  mysterious  appearance  of 
the  caves. 

On  going  through  a  passage  guarded  by  stone  lions  the 
pundit  took  a  little  tin  box  out  of  his  pocket,  opened  it,  and 
scattered  some  odoriferous  snuff  on  the  head  of  the  lions, 
and  then  took  a  little  pinch  himself.  His  explanation 
was,  that  he  had  taken  cold,  and  snuff  was  his  remedy  for 
it.  "But,"  said  I,  "the  stone  lions  haven't  taken  cold 
too  ?" — "  Oh,  that,"  said  he,  "  was  a  propitiatory  offering, 
lest  I  should  sneeze  in  their  sacred  presence." 

of  the  dark  half  of  every  moon.  They  fast  during  the  day,  and  at 
night  repair  to  their  temples,  repeat  the  names  of  their  god — of  which 
there  are  no  less  than  one  thousand,  all  expressive  of  certain  spiritual 
and  physical  qualities,  passions,  acts,  etc. — pour  the  leaves  of  the  bheel 
tree,  sacred  to  Shiva,  because  they  are  heart-shaped,  over  the  lingam, 
then  rub  it  with  oil,  and  finally  sprinkle  it  with  consecrated  water.  At 
the  Shivaratri,  or  the  night  of  Shiva,  which  falls  once  a  year  on  a  dark 
night,  a  fair  is  held  at  the  caves  of  Elephanta  during  the  day,  and  a 
night-vigil  from  eight  o'clock  till  five  in  the  morning,  accompanied 
with  music,  prayer,  and  other  strange  ceremonies. 


BASSEIN,  ANCIENT   POETUGUESE  CITY.  63 

As  we  went  out  of  the  great  stone  porch  the  declining 
sun  sent  a  long  line  of  light  through  the  aisle,  the  wind 
blew  softly,  and  the  island  stretched  away  green  and 
beautiful,  surrounded  with  the  sea  all  a-glitter  with  the 
rosy  hues  of  the  setting  sun.  In  many  places  we  noticed 
traces  of  color,  but  everywhere  are  to  be  seen  the  ruthless 
mutilations  this  cave  has  suffered  both  from  the  conquer- 
ing Mohammedan  and  Portuguese  soldiers ;  most  of  the 
colossal  statues  are  defaced  and  broken,  the  arms  and 
limbs  of  innumerable  figures  are  prostrate.  Long  lines 
of  pictured  story  and  inscriptions  are  effaced,  but  there 
are  still  standing  rows  and  rows  of  gods  and  goddesses, 
their  heads  crowned  with  garlands.  These  figures,  al- 
though much  defaced,  still  show  that  the  artist  carved 
some  of  the  female  forms  with  only  one  breast,  like  the 
famed  Amazons  of  Greek  story.  The  temple  or  city  of 
purification  was  desecrated  centuries  ago,  and  it  is  now 
deserted,  save  for  an  annual  fair  and  occasional  visits 
from  Brahmans  and  fakeers ;  it  can  boast  of  none  of  the 
splendors  of  its  palmy  days. 

About  fifteen  miles  from  "  Gorabunder,"  on  the  main- 
land, lies  Basseiu — or,  as  it  was  anciently  called,  Vassai— 
once  a  proud  city  and  the  chief  seat  of  the  early  Portu- 
guese settlers  in  this  part  of  India.  But  for  nearly  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  it  has  ceased  to  be  inhabited.  The 
city  is  of  considerable  size,  and  surrounded  by  a  regular 
fortification  of  rampart  and  bastions.  It  is  kept  locked 
up  under  a  small  body  of  soldiers  and  an  English  con- 
ductor of  ordnance. 

By  permission  obtained  from  the  authorities  at  Bombay 
we  spent  a  very  interesting  day  wandering  over  this  de- 
serted city,  its  ruined  towers,  cloisters,  convents,  monas- 
teries, and  churches,  that  once  belonged  to  the  Jesuits, 
which  are  here  crumbling  away  unheard  of  and  unnoticed. 


64  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

The  only  building  in  good  repair  is  a  small  pagoda  raised 
over  a  Mahratta  saint  amid  a  display  of  the  most  melan- 
choly of  ruined  houses,  churches,  and  colleges.  In  the 
vast  jungle-covered  cemetery  of  the  dead  Portuguese  are 
the  tombs  of  the  great  Don  Loren9o  and  the  famous  Al- 
buquerque. In  one  of  the  largest  of  the  churches  there 
is  a  monument  to  a  certain  lady,  Donna  Maria  de  Souza, 
of  the  date  of  1606. 

Bassein  was  wrested  from  the  Mahrattas  by  the  Portu- 
guese in  1532  A.  D.  But  the  Mahrattas  laid  siege  to  it 
again  under  the  renowned  Chinaje  Apa,  brother  of  the 
Peishwa  Baji  Rao,  and  after  a  desperate  struggle  the 
Portuguese  were  forced  to  capitulate.  It  is  said  that  the 
English  in  Bombay  might  have  saved  them  this  defeat 
and  humiliation,  but  from  a  feeling  of  jealousy  of  the 
power  and  influence  of  the  Portuguese  in  India  refused 
them  all  aid,  except  that  of  advancing  fifteen  hundred 
rupees,  for  which  they  took  some  very  valuable  church 
plate  and  some  brass  guns,  which  were  actually  removed 
from  the  defence  of  Bassein  as  security.  They  were  finally 
induced,  however,  to  make  some  amends  for  this  barbarous 
treatment  of  fellow-Christians,  and  sent  boats  with  a  strong 
escort  to  convey  the  refugees  to  Bombay,  whence  they 
started  for  Goa,  but  were  once  more  attacked  and  almost 
annihilated  by  the  Mahrattas.  In  1780  the  English  at- 
tacked, stormed,  and  captured  the  city  of  Bassein  once 
more  from  the  fierce  Mahrattas,  and  have  held  it  ever 
since,  a  melancholy  monument  of  the  departed  greatness 
of  the  Portuguese  conquerors.  Such  is  the  fate  of  conquer- 
ing nations.  It  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  if  the  Eng- 
lish were  now  expelled  from  India  the  few  relics  left  of  their 
religion,  their  power,  and  their  civil  and  military  magnif- 
icence would  be  swept  rapidly  away,  and  would  in  the  course 
of  a  century  or  two  leave  not  a  trace  behind  them. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Sampwallahs,  or  Serpent-Charmers. — Jadoowallahs,  or  Miracle-per- 
formers.— Nuzer-bundyana,  Mesmerizers. — Yogees,  Spiritual  Jug- 
glers, and  Naga-Poojmi,  or  Serpent-Worship,  in  India. 

LIFE  in  the  East  is  altogether  so  novel,  so  full  of 
dramatic  sights  and  sounds,  that  one's  curiosity  seems  to 
grow  with  the  abundant  nourishment  it  finds  everywhere. 
Now  one  sees  a  Mohammedan  funeral,  or  the  procession  of 
gorgeous  Taboots  of  Moslems,  or  gods  of  the  Hindoos; 
anon  the  body  of  a  Hindoo  or  a  Parsee  borne  on  an  open 
bier  by  white-robed  priests,  the  one  to  be  burned,  the 
other  to  be  abandoned  to  birds  of  prey  in  their  strange 
silent  "  towers  of  the  dead."  Sometimes  a  gay  procession 
of  dancing-girls,  followed  by  troops  of  men  and  elephants 
richly  caparisoned,  waltzing  all  the  way  to  the  temple  and 
keeping  time  to  the  pipes,  cymbals,  and  the  beating  of 
most  discordant  drums ;  at  others,  a  poor  funeral  of  some 
low-caste  person,  quiet  and  unpretending — an  open  bier, 
on  it  perhaps  an  only  child  in  its  every-day  soiled  gar- 
ments, followed  by  women  wailing  and  beating  their 
breasts  and  throwing  dust  on  their  heads.  This  wailing 
is  inexpressibly  mournful.  One  morning,  as  I  sat  at  work 
in  my  room,  there  came  floating  upon  the  breeze  toward 
the  "Aviary"  a  sharp,  penetrating,  and  very  peculiar  cry. 
While  I  listened  there  came  another  and  another  of  these 
unearthly  sounds;  again  they  were  repeated,  and  all  at 
once  there  appeared  in  sight  a  band  of  half-naked  men 
accompanied  by  two  women  and  a  perfectly  nude  little 

5  65 


66  LIFE   AND   TKAVEL,   IN   INDIA. 

child — all  so  strange  and  weird-looking  that  I  almost  felt 
the  victim  of  some  illusion. 

They  were  a  band  of  samgwallahs,  or  serpent-charmers, 
and  in  rather  a  bewildered  state  of  mind  I  watched  the 
gang  approach  the  front  of  the  house  and  take  their  places 
around  the  doorsteps.  Having  deposited  their  bags  and 
baskets,  they  proceeded  to  salaam  before  me.  I  could  not 
summon  resolution  to  send  them  away,  as  my  curiosity 
was  gradually  getting  better  of  my  fears,  nor  could  I 
bring  myself  to  witness  their  performance  in  the  absence 
of  my  husband.  I  therefore  sent  a  message  to  the  one 
who  seemed  the  headman  of  the  band  by  my  "  ayah,"  or 
maid,  to  inquire  if  they  would  not  go  away  now  and  re- 
turn in  the  afternoon  about  four  o'clock.  "Return? 
Why,  what  is  to  prevent  us  from  remaining  just  where 
we  are  until  the  master  comes  home?"  I  could  see  no 
just  reason  save  my  own  fears  to  have  them  lounging 
around  my  lonely  house,  and  in  spite  of  these  concluded 
to  let  them  stay. 

Strange  it  was  to  see  these,  to  me  almost  supernatural 
men  and  women,  enjoying  themselves  as  naturally  and 
innocently  for  three  or  four  full  hours  as  did  this  com- 
pany of  wild  serpent-charmers  and  jugglers.  The  two 
women  of  the  party  searched  for  the  most  delicate  and 
polished  pebbles  to  be  found  in  the  gravelled  walks  of 
the  garden,  and  entertained  themselves  by  digging  holes 
in  the  sand  and  rolling  their  pebbles  with  great  skill  into 
these,  hitting  off  one  with  another,  and  seeming  to  think 
it  capital  sport.  Some  of  the  men  took  some  caiah,  or 
cocoanut-fibre,  out  of  their  bags  and  proceeded  to  twist  a 
rope  out  of  it.  Some  lighted  long  pipes  and  began  to 
smoke  quietly,  stroking  down  the  cobra  de  capellos,  who 
would  poke  their  heads  from  under  the  baskets  by  their 
sides.  The  boy  of  the  party  had  a  bit  of  rag  spread  for 


SERPENT  CHARMER. 


SERPENT-CHARMING   AT  THE  AVIARY.  67 

him  under  an  adjoining  tree,  and  here  he  stretched  him- 
self at  full  length  to  sleep,  with  a  basket  of  snakes  for  his 
pillow.  Every  now  and  then  the  upper  lid  of  this  basket 
seemed  to  open  and  a  snake  would  thrust  out  his  head,  as 
if  to  survey  the  sleeping  boy,  then  as  suddenly  withdraw. 
All  the  while  the  beautiful  sea  gleamed  and  sparkled  and 
dashed  against  the  rocks  in  front  of  the  "Aviary,"  and 
completed  this  strange  picture. 

A  little  after  four  o'clock  my  husband  arrived,  and, 
seated  on  the  steps  of  the  "Aviary,"  we  witnessed  some 
most  astonishing  performances.  Before  beginning  his 
music,  and  while  the  women  were  girding  themselves  for 
action,  the  snake-charmer  paid  us  some  very  startling  and 
original  compliments.  All  at  once,  seizing  his  bagpipe- 
like  instrument  and  puffing  out  his  polished  black  cheeks, 
he  produced  the  same  queer  melody  that  I  had  first  heard, 
with  its  endless  reverberations,  creating  a  strange  effect 
upon  one's  nerves.  The  women  kept  time  to  these  sounds 
by  motions  the  most  gently  waving  that  one  could  con- 
ceive of.  When  the  sounds  were  low  and  faint  they 
waved  their  arms  and  bent  downward  in  graceful  undu- 
lating curves ;  then  again,  as  the  sounds  began  to  be  shrill 
and  piercing,  they  raised  their  arms  aloft,  turned  up  their 
faces  to  the  sky,  and,  poised  on  tiptoe,  beat  a  rhythmic 
movement  to  the  sound.  The  dance  was  in  itself  a  won- 
der of  grace  and  flexibility.  But,  strangest  sight  of  all, 
the  serpents_were  equally  moved.  In  raising  their  heads 
they  had  thrown  off  the  covers  of  the  baskets,  and  pres- 
ently every  snake,  large  and  small — and  there  were  no 
less  than  six — had  begun  to  take  part  in  this  dance,  their 
eyes  glistening,  their  forked  tongues  extended,  their  hoods 
spread  to  the  utmost ;  they  raised  themselves  on  the  abdo- 
men and  swayed  their  heads  to  and  fro,  following  the 
movements  of  the  charmers  and  seemingly  ravished  with 


68  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

the  strange  sounds.  There  was  not  a  doubt  in  my  mind, 
as  I  watched  the  serpents,  that  they  distinguished  the 
varieties  of  sound,  for  with  every  rise  and  fall  of  the 
music  they  kept  time  with  their  inflated  hoods  and 
slender  forms. 

Suddenly  the  serpent-charmer  started  to  his  feet  and 
began  a  wild  circular  movement,  accompanied  with  wilder 
and  more  energetic  sounds,  which  were  reverberated  from 
every  rock  of  the  hill.  After  a  few  minutes  he  stood  still, 
and,  taking  for  a  moment  the  instrument  from  his  mouth, 
uttered  a  sudden  "  Ah  !  "  short,  sharp,  and  guttural,  and 
all  at  once  resumed  his  former  movements  both  of  sound 
and  action.  We  involuntarily  turned  our  eyes  in  the  di- 
rection of  those  of  the  serpent-charmer,  and  noticed  a 
slight  movement  in  the  grass  and  brushwood  that  covered 
the  ground-floor  of  the  "  Aviary ; "  and  as  we  looked  the 
head  and  neck  of  a  cobra  de  capello  of  large  size  rose 
above  the  grass.  The  strange  reptile  approached  nearer 
and  nearer.  He  passed  with  folded  hood  through  the 
open  wirework  of  the  "Aviary."  Out  of  it,  he  once 
more  unfolded  his  hood,  and,  waving  it  to  and  fro,  looked 
like  one  suddenly  awakened  to  some  subtle  and  purely 
spiritual  influence  ;  he  leaped  rather  than  crept  toward  the 
sound  of  the  charmer ;  every  curve,  every  change  of  mo- 
tion, and  every  movement  of  the  body  betrayed  an  ex- 
quisite apprehension  of  the  peculiar  waves  of  the  melody. 
The  serpent,  followed  by  another  more  slender  in  pro- 
portions, leaped  almost  into  the  arms  of  the  charmer, 
and,  swinging  their  bodies  to  and  fro,  both  snakes  seem- 
ed to  give  themselves  up  to  the  enchantment  of  sound. 
Very  slowly  but  deliberately  the  serpent-charmer  dropped 
one  hand,  and,  stooping  over  the  head  of  the  largest  ser- 
pent, playing  all  the  while,  grappled  it  just  under  the 
head  by  the  thumb  and  forefinger  and  handed  it  to  one  of 


THE   MANGO-SEED   TRICK.  69 

the  men.  This  done,  he  proceeded  to  enchant  and  capture 
the  smaller  snake,  which  was  accomplished  in  the  same 
way.  Then  he  dropped  his  instrument,  took  a  curious 
flint  knife  out  of  his  bag,  and,  pressing  tightly  the  wind- 
pipe of  each  of  the  serpents  in  turn,  cut  out  the  bags  con- 
taining the  poisonous  fluid  and  dropped  the  deadly  rep- 
tiles, now  rendered  for  ever  harmless,  into  the  bags.  This 
was  done  in  broad  daylight,  in  the  open  air,  where  no  de- 
ception could  have  been  practised. 

Some  persons  have  suggested  that  these  two  snakes 
might  have  been  brought  by  the  band  and  let  loose  in  the 
"Aviary."  Even  if  this  were  so,  it  could  not  destroy  the 
mystery  of  the  influence  which  certain  sounds  evidently 
exercised  over  the  serpents,  who  voluntarily  returned  to 
captivity  even  before  the  poison-bag  had  been  cut  out,  the 
removal  of  which,  according  to  all  testimony,  renders 
them  harmless  and  agreeable  pets.  As  far  as  my  obser- 
vation went,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  these  snakes 
were  perfectly  wild  till  caught  by  the  serpent-charmer. 

"When  I  asked  him  by  what  power  he  compelled  these 
snakes  to  abandon  their  holes  and  come  out  to  hear  his 
music,  his  reply  was  characteristic.  "  Asmani  ka  jore  se, 
Maim  Sahib,"  translated  into  English,  would  mean,  "  By 
the  secret  power  of  the  heavenly  motions." 

The  other  tricks  of  the  band  were  very  wonderful,  but 
not  as  absorbing  as  serpent-charming.  They  appeared  to 
cause  a  seed  to  bud,  grow,  blossom,  and  bear  fruit  in  the 
open  air  in  a  short  space  of  time  and  with  but  few  con- 
trivances. They  showed  us  a  mango-seed,  which  they 

*  - y}         _  --  *  J 

planted  before  our  eyes  in  a  pot  of  prepared  soil  brought 
with  them ;  this  they  watered  again  and  again  with  a  pe- 
culiar liquid,  also  in  their  possession.  Each  time  that 
there  was  a  positive  growth  in  the  tree  the  round  basket 
which  covered  it  was  removed,  and  our  attention  called 


70  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

to  the  fact  that  it  was  growing.  When  the  tree  had  out- 
grown the  basket  a  large  cloth  was  thrown  over  it.  Fi- 
nally, it  was  presented  to  us  full  grown,  and,  though 
dwarfed  in  stature,  with  ripe  mangoes  hanging  from  its 
branches.  They  invited  me  to  taste  the  fruit,  which  I 
did,  and  found  it  decidedly  inferior  in  flavor  to  the  most 
ordinary  mango  produced  in  the  natural  way.  The  curi- 
ous part  of  this  feat  is  this,  that  the  tree  itself,  supposing 
they  carried  it  about  with  them,  had  that  fresh  and  vigor- 
ous look  of  active  life  and  growth  which  it  could  not 
possibly  retain  out  of  the"  earth  in  a  hot  climate  for  any 
length  of  time  without  a  very  delicate  and  careful  know- 
ledge of  how  to  preserve  plant-life  on  the  part  of  these 
apparently  savage  jugglers.  I  have  also  seen  them  pro- 
duce flowers  on  plants  in  the  same  way. 

A  great  many  other  feats  and  tricks  were  performed, 
such  as  throwing  up  a  top,  and  not  only  catching  it  on  the 
end  of  a  slender  stick,  but  balancing  it  on  the  point  of  the 
nose,  and  causing  it,  without  any  new  impetus  to  stop  or 
to  go  on  spinning  at  the  request  of  the  spectator. 

Some  of  the  tricks  are  called  'nMzzerbwnd,  "blindfold- 
ing "  or  mesmerizing  the  spectator.  A  ring  is  placed  in 
your  hand  and  you  are  requested  to  hold  the  hand  tightly 
between  your  folded  knees,  and  when  you  look  again  you 
find  a  little  dust.  One  of  these  tricks,  called  khano-nuz- 
zerbund,  "ears  and  eyes  bound,"  is  that  of  a  small  boy 
being  put  into  a  basket  and  made  to  disappear  and  reap- 
pear. Our  juggler  produced  a  small  basket  and  beckoned 
to  the  boy  to  get  into  it,  which  he  did ;  two  of  the  men 
then  produced  instruments  that  looked  like  flageolets  and 
began  to  play,  moving  round  the  head  of  the  child.  This 
seemed  to  have  a  peculiar  effect  on  the  boy,  who  appeared 
like  one  in  paroxysms  of  pain.  It  was  very  distressing  to 
witness  his  convulsions,  and  even  while  we  looked  the 


THE   BASKET  TRICK.  71 

child  began  to  disappear  in  the  basket.  The  moment  he 
was  out  of  sight  the  musicians  seized  long  knives  and  fell 
upon  the  basket  and  pierced  it  with  many  thrusts,  and  it 
seemed  certain  that  the  child  was  not  in  it,  nor  could  we 
see  him  anywhere.  Presently  they  straightened  out  the 
basket  and  resumed  their  music,  when,  all  at  once,  from 
afar  the  clear  answering  voice  of  the  child  was  heard ; 
nearer  and  nearer  came  the  sound,  until  the  basket  swelled 
and  distended,  and,  lo !  there  was  the  boy  peering  from 
under  the  lid  serene  and  smiling. 

These  jugglers  call  themselves  JddooHW^llahs,  and  are 
of  the  same  tribe  as  the  Yogees  who  follow  the  Moham- 
medan processions  and  cut  themselves  with  knives  and 
sharpened  flints  in  order  to  extract  money  from  the  more 
tender-hearted  of  the  crowds  who  always  frequent  such 
spectacles.  The  name  of  Jadoo-wallah  is  a  corruption 
of  the  words  Yahdeo- Wallah,  "filled  with  god-power." 
The  common  people  believe  that  these  powers  are  be- 
stowed upon  them  by  the  gods,  and  thus  do  everything 
and  anything  in  their  power  to  propitiate  the  goodwill 
of  the  Jadoo-wallahs.  As  acrobats  they  far  surpass  the 
Europeans.  One  of  the  men  who  performed  for  us  re- 
ceived on  his  right  shoulder,  as  lightly  as  if  it  had  been  a 
feather,  a  heavy  weight  which  was  dropped  from  an  over- 
hanging branch  of  a  tree  above. 

It  was  dusk  before  the  jugglers  and  serpent-charmers 
finished  their  astonishing  feats  and  performances.  We 
handed  them  five  rupees,  and  they  were  delighted  witli 
this  liberality,  though  I  had  feared  they  would  not  think 
it  enough.  They  departed  with  the  usual  benediction, 
"  Both  burrus  Jeho  Sahib  loke.  Tumarra  bucha  k£  bucha 
Ingrage  kfc  guddee  per  bait  jowoh  "  ("  Long  may  you  live, 
gentlefolk,  and  may  your  children's  children  seat  them- 
selves on  the  British  throne"). 


72  LIFE  AND  'TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

Not  long  after  we  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  the 
grand  serpent-festival  held  in  Bombay  and  other  parts  of 
Hindostan  in  the  months  of  July  and  August.  It  is  called 
"  the  EjMaScPJ^HiL"  literally,  "  serpent-worship."  There 
are  many  tribes  in  India  who  have  assumed  the  name  of 
Nagas  or  Serpents  from  the  earliest  times.  Diodorus  sup- 
poses that  the  snake  had  been  used  as  their  crest  or  ban- 
ner. There  are  three  kinds  of  serpent-worship  practised 
in  India,  and  each  is  peculiar  to  a  distinct  class  of  people, 
although  all  the  natives  of  India,  except  the  Mohammedans, 
either  from  dread  of  the  deadly  serpent  or  from  a  feeling 
of  veneration,  join  in  the  festival  of  the  naga-poojmi. 

The  first  of  these  is  the  worship  paid  to  the  serpent  by 
the  high-caste  Brahmans,  who  adopted  the  early  serpent- 
worship  from  the  non- Aryan  populations,  placing  the  ser- 
pent, as  a  symbol  of  the  masculine  energy  of  the  world, 
in  the  hand  and  sometimes  around  the  head  of  Brahma, 
the  chief  god  of  their  trinity;  they  adroitly  represent 
that  on  the  day  sacred  to  the  serpent,  Krishna,  their  last 
incarnation,  slew  the  great  serpent  Kali,  who  was  just  in 
the  act  of  swallowing  up  the  sun  and  moon.  The  second 
is  the  worship  made  to  the  serpent-gods  carved  in  their 
temples  by  the  non- Aryan  and  low-caste  races  of  India,  by 
whom  the  serpent  is  regarded  in  the  light  of  a  benefactor 
and  friend,  and  to  whom  it  was  at  one  time  customary  to 
offer  annually  a  human  victim  to  propitiate  its  deadly 
sting.  And,  last  of  all,  is  the  worship  paid  to  it  by  the 
professional  snake-charmer,  to  whom  the  art  of  taming  the 
serpent  has  been  transmitted  from  father  to  son,  and  in 
whose  eyes  the  serpent  is  an  oracle  of  wisdom,  the  har- 
binger of  all  good  things,  and  last,  but  not  least,  a  means 
of  livelihood  to  the  tribe. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  waning  moon  at  the  end  of  July 
we  rode  out,  accompanied  by  a  party  of  friends,  to  the  native 


OFFERINGS   OF  RICE  AND   MILK  TO  SERPENTS.       73 

part  of  the  city,  where  we  were  told  the  chief  of  the  ser- 
pent-worshippers were  assembled.  Here  we  found  an  im- 
mense throng  of  men  and  women  gayly  dressed,  bands  of 
handsome  dancing-girls  in  flowing  veils  and  glittering 
jewels,  and  rows  of  young  maidens  beautifully  attired, 
with  offerings  of  rice  and  milk,  and  some  with  fruit  and 
flowers  tastefully  arranged  in  baskets  which  they  carried 
on  their  heads ;  others  with  baskets  filled  with  such  flowers 
as  serpents  are  reported  to  delight  in — the  champu,  the 
marigold,  the  water-lily,  the  tuberose,  and  quantities  of 
the  snake-plant  commonly  called  sampk&mah,  "  the  mother 
of  the  serpent."  We  passed  through  the  crowd  and  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  centre  of  a  great  maidan,  or  open 
plain,  where  we  stood. 

Not  far  off  clustered  a  vast  number  of  serpents,  with 
their  charmers  and  worshippers.  Immediately  behind  this 
curious  assembly  was  a  temple  dedicated  to  the  snake-god. 
From  within  these  walls  the  lights,  kept  burning  in  great 
numbers,  could  be  seen  pale  and  ghastly  amid  the  daylight, 
and  the  sounds  of  the  tomtom  and  gongs  beat  in  honor 
of  the  idol  were  heard ;  some  noble  old  peepul  trees  sur- 
rounded the  temple.  Right  in  front  of  the  temple  were 
placed  great  basins  containing  milk  and  a  preparation  of 
rice  and  milk  called  khir,  for  the  serpents.  Those,  how- 
ever, that  fed  out  of  the  basins  were  mostly  all  tame; 
they  coiled  in  and  out  and  round  about  the  worshippers  in 
a  careless  and  easy  manner.  But  farther  on,  beyond  the 
stone  basins  and  amid  flowers  and  floods  of  sunshine, 
women  dancing  and  men  and  boys  singing,  might  be  seen 
the  deadly  cobra  de  capellos  now  aril  then  inflating  their 
hoods  and  keeping  time  to  the  music. 

The  Brahman  worship  of  the  serpent  is  characteristic. 
Regarding  the  snake  purely  as  a  symbol,  each  priest  pre- 
pares a  clay  figure  of  a  cobra  and  winds  it  when  in  a  plas- 


74  LIFE   AND   TKAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

tic  state  round  a  tall  pole,  the  upper  part  of  which  is 
ornamented  with  a  ring,  which  in  its  turn  typifies  the 
feminine  powers  of  nature. 

On  the  day  of  the  festival  thousands  of  Brahmans,  each 
with  his  pole  thus  ornamented,  accompanied  by  musicians 
and  dancing-girls,  the  former  playing  on  their  instruments 
and  the  latter  keeping  time  to  the  music  and  performing  a 
mystic  circular  dance,  surrounded  by  half-naked  fakeers 
and  gossains,  who  keep  shouting  and  leaping  about,  trav- 
erse the  length  and  breadth  of  the  native  town  till  they 
reach  their  temples.  Entering  these,  they  plant  their 
poles  in  front  of  the  shrine  of  Siva,  after  which  they 
make  over  the  clay  serpent  a  wave-offering  of  fire,  pouring 
over  it  the  oil  pressed  from  the  "telah,"  or  sesamum- 
seed,  sacred  to  the  serpent,  and  repeat  the  prayer,  "  Life 
has  sway  over  all  in  earth  and  heaven;  protect  vus  as 
a  mother  her  children;  grant  us  life,  prosperity,  wis- 
dom," etc. 

On  this  day  every  Hindoo  and  Brahman  woman  places 
seven  wicks  in  a  dish  of  silver  or  other  metal,  fills  the 
dish  with  telah  oil,  and  at  nightfall  waves  it  around  the 
portals  and  windows  of  her  house.  When  her  husband 
returns  he  makes  her  a  present,  generally  of  a  scarf,  and 
she  then  performs  a  curious  and  very  mysterious  rite: 
placing  her  hands  on  her  own  hip-joints,  and  touching  his 
with  the  tips  of  her  fingers,  she  prostrates  herself  before 
him  and  implores  for  him,  from  the  god  of  the  day,  re- 
newed vigor,  health,  and  strength. 

The  Nagas,  or  low-caste  serpent-worshippers,  assemble 
with  the  snake-charmers  in  open  plains,  where  all  the 
tame  snakes  in  the  country  are  brought  together.  After 
having  fed  these  creatures,  they  offer  up  prayers,  each  to 
his  own  deity,  but  mostly  to  the  god  Siva,  for  long  life 
and  for  protection  from  its  deadly  bite,  making  offerings 


VILLAGERS  MAKE   CLAY  IMAGES   OF  THE   COBRA.    75 

of  the  snake-plant,  and  to  the  priests  of  little  lamps  lighted 
with  one  or  two  wicks  for  the  altars. 

The  common  people  in  the  Hindoo  villages  also  make 
clay  images  of  the  cobra  and  pray  to  them.  Most  of  the 
abandoned  characters  turn  out  on  the  occasion  of  these 
festivals,  and  the  night  is  spent  in  licentious  merriment, 
music,  and  song,  while  the  snake-charmers,  jugglers,  and 
Yogees  obtain  large  sums  of  money  and  presents  from  the 
people,  who  regard  them  in  the  light  of  divine  benefactors 
to  their  race. 

To  understand  the  worship  paid  to  serpents  we  must  re- 
member that  the  earliest  feeling  which  mankind  had  of  a 
relation  to  invisible  powers  must  have  been  a  compound 
of  dread  and  gratitude,  and  in  the  mingling  of  these  emo- 
tions dread  predominated.  The  dreaded  serpent  alone, 
says  Fergusson,*  without  arms  or  wings  or  any  of  the 
usual  appliances  of  locomotion,  still  moves  with  singular 
celerity  and  grace ;  its  form  is  full  of  elegance,  its  colors 
are  often  very  beautiful,  its  eyes  are  bright  and  piercing. 
A  serpent  can  creep,  spring,  climb,  swim,  expand,  constrict, 
suspend  itself  by  the  tail,  burrow  in  the  ground,  and  even 
raise  its  body  almost  erect.  Its  muscular  irritability  is 
remarkably  great  and  persistent,  depending  on  its  ner- 
vous energy.  The  heart  palpitates  long  after  death  ;  the 
jaws  open  and  shut  even  when  the  head  is  severed  from 
the  body ;  the  outer  skin  is  shed  more  than  once,  and  the 
ancients  believed  that  by  this  means  the  snake  renewed  its 
youth.  It  does  not  need  food  for  long  periods  when  cast- 
ing its  skin.  It  often  changes  color  at  will,  and,  above 
all,  its  longevity  is  so  great  as  still  to  make  the  super- 
stitious ascribe  to  it  immortality.  It  makes  no  nest  (ex- 
cept in  the  case  of  the  python,  who  hatches  her  eggs  by 
the  heat  of  her  own  body) ;  no  food  is  stored  for  the 
*  See  Fergusson's  Tree-  and  Serpent-  Worship. 


76  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

young,  who  are  born  with  all  powers  in  full  perfection. 
Then  the  poison  of  a  serpent  is  so  deadly  and  subtile  that 
it  excites  in  the  heart  of  the  savage  the  greatest  dread  and 
mystery,  and  even  more  startling  and  terrible  than  the 
poison  of  the  cobra  is  the  flash-like  spring  and  fascination 
of  the  boa  constrictor,  the  instantaneous  embrace,  the 
crushed-out  life, — all  accomplished  faster  than  the  human 
eye  can  follow.  These  are  the  powers  that  must  have  im- 
pressed the  primitive  races  of  the  East  with  dread  and 
terror,  and  wherever  the  serpent  was  found,  there  he 
seems  to  have  been  propitiated  by  man  with  prayers,  sup- 
plications, and  all  forms  of  worship.  It  is  perhaps  strange 
that  the  serpent  in  the  early  period  of  the  worship  was 
not  so  much  dreaded  as  loved — whether  from  a  feeling 
that  it  was  not  as  deadly  as  it  has  in  its  power  to  be,  or 
for  some  other  reason,  it  is  now  impossible  to  determine. 
However,  in  the  history  of  this  peculiar  religion  it  is 
found  that  in  course  of  time  the  serpent  began  to  be  re- 
garded as  the  harbinger  of  good  gifts,  the  teacher  of  wis- 
dom, the  symbol  of  subtlety,  the  oracle  of  the  future,  and 
even  the  healer  of  all  diseases. 

All  the  gods,  and  even  the  kings  and  queens,  of  the  old 
world  are  usually  represented  with  serpents  coiling  about 
their  heads  or  arms.  The  Hindoos  most  probably  adopted 
this  symbol  of  the  serpent  from  the  aboriginal  populations 
among  whom  they  settled.  "Sanee,"  the  oldest  rock- 
sculpture  of  the  Hindoo  "  Saturn,"  the  presiding  deity  of 
the  seventh  day  of  the  week,  has  serpents  for  her  belts  or 
rings.  She  rides  on  a  raven,  a  bird  of  ill  omen  sacred  to 
her,  and  no  Hindoo  will  undertake  any  new  enterprise  on 
the  day  over  which  she  presides.  As  one  wanders  through 
the  forests  of  India  one  finds  that  many  of  the  finest  trees 
served  as  altars  to  a  generation  long  gone  by.  Their 
huge  old  trunks  have  been  hollowed  out  and  carved  in  the 


WORSHIP  OF  SACRED   TREES   IN   INDIA.  77 

form  of  oriel  chapels  or  windows,  in  the  inmost  recesses 
of  which  may  be  still  traced  the  faint  remains  of  what 
was  intended  to  represent  the  cobra  de  capello  or  hooded 
serpent  of  India. 

Sacredjrees.  have  from  very  early  times  shared  a  portion 
of  the  homage  paid  to  serpents.  It  would  appear  that 
while  the  serpent  was  made  to  symbolize  both  the  benef- 
icent and  dreaded  powers  of  nature,  the  tree  represented 
man.  The  wondrous  spectacle  of  a  new  creation  every 
year,  the  forest  trees  gathering  their  fresh  leaves  every 
spring,  became  to  the  primitive  man  a  steadfast  promise 
of  a  similar  resurrection,  and  perhaps  caused  him  to  asso- 
ciate the  tree  with  the  serpent  because  of  the  analogies 
that  exist  between  them.  The  one  shedding  its  leaves, 
the  other  its  skin,  their  mutual  inactivity  in  winter,  their 
awakening  to  life  in  the  spring,  their  longevity,  the  twig- 
like  form  of  the  serpent,  and  a  last,  but  not  least,  import- 
ant fact  is  this,  that  wherever,  in  India,  the  deadly 
serpent  is  found,  there  also  abounds  the  mungoose,*  or 
snake-plant,  with  convex  flower-clusters  and  long  ser- 
pentine roots,  possessing  the  mysterious  power  to  cure  the 
deadly  bite  of  a  snake. 

Thus,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  serpent  became  an  end- 
less writing  on  the  wall,  so  full  was  it  of  mysterious  sig- 
nificance and  dread  to  the  ancient  races  of  the  world.  In 
fact,  serpents  play  an  important  part  in  the  mythology  of 
every  nation  of  the  earth.  Even  to-day  the  snake-charm- 
ers will  tell  you  that  the  circles  on  the  head  of  the  cobra 
de  capello  are  spiritual  eyes  which  enable  it  to  distinguish 

*  This  plant  is  named  after  a  large  rat  common  in  India  and  called 
mungoose  by  the  natives.  It  is  said  to  have  a  deadly  antipathy  to 
snakes  of  all  kinds.  It  will  hunt  and  destroy  them  wherever  they  are 
found.  If,  however,  the  mungoose  happens  to  be  bitten  by  a  snake,  it 
is  said  that  it  instinctively  runs  to  this  plant,  gnaws  at  its  roots,  and 
thus  cures  itself  of  the  poison. 


78  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

between  good  and  bad  men.  If  a  good  man  is  bitten  to 
death,  they  account  for  it  by  declaring  that  he  must  have 
committed  some  deadly  sin  in  a  former  state  of  existence, 
hence  his  punishment  in  this. 

It  will  not  be  amiss  to  conclude  this  chapter  with  a 
mention  of  some  of  the  symbols  for  which  the  serpent 
stood  in  ancient  times.  It  stands  for  the  higher  and  lower 
forms  of  the  creative  energy  of  nature ;  for  the  emblem 
of  evil ;  for  wisdom  and  subtlety,  as  we  all  know,  being 
self-supporting  from  the  moment  of  birth ;  for  immor- 
tality, because  of  its  fabled  longevity ;  for  death,  for  new 
birth,  and  resurrection,  from  its  casting  its  skin  and  from 
its  awakening  in  spring  from  the  torpor  of  winter.  In 
the  oldest  hieroglyphics  the  serpent  with  its  tail  in  its 
mouth  stood  for  cycles  of  time,  for  the  horizon,  for  eter- 
nity, and  for  life  to  come.  Twined  around  the  crown  of 
ancient  Oriental  kings  and  queens,  it  symbolized  the  fatal 
sting  lurking  beneath  the  power  entrusted  to  them ;  and 
bound  round  the  royal  sceptre,  it  typified  national  life, 
vigor,  and  strength. 


CHAPTER   V. 

The  Parsees,  or  Fire- Worshippers,  of  Bombay. — A  Visit  to  a  Fire- 
priest  and  Astrologer. — His  Astral  Predictions. — The  Gathas. — 
Zoroaster. — His  Life  and  Religion. — History  of  the  Settlement  of 
the  Parsees  in  India. 

THE  race  which  more  than  others  attracted  my  atten- 
tion in  India  was  thej^arsees  in  Bombay.  As  we  drove 
almost  daily  to  or  from  the  fort  to  Malabar  Point,  we 
passed  a  Fire-temple,  and  there  are  also  two  others  in  the 
old  fort.  These  are  held  very  sacred,  and  none  but  Par- 
sees  are  allowed  to  enter  them.  The  one,  however,  which 
stood  between  the  fort  and  our  house  was  less  guarded, 
by  which  means  it  was  more  accessible  to  strangers  and 
visitors. 

At  my  earnest  request,  I  was  invited  by  the  wife  of  our 
Parsee  neighbor  to  witness  the  worship  of  this  interesting 
people.  It  was  on  the  occasion  of  the  "  Khurdad-Sal," 
the  anniversary  of  the  birthday  of  Zoroaster,  that  I  re- 
paired to  the  above-mentioned  Fire-temple.  Seeing  a 
large  crowd  centred  about  the  building,  I  ventured  to 
peep  in,  in  the  hope  of  seeing  my  friend.  No  one  paid 
the  slightest  attention  to  me;  presently  a  young  Parsee 
lad  came  forward  and  conducted  me  to  a  quiet  corner,  and 
I  found  myself  the  sole  spectator  of  a  very  curious  and 
interesting  worship  performed  by  the  Fire-priests  alone, 
with  a  crowd  of  Parsee  women  and  children,  and  some 
very  aged  Parsee  men  scattered  here  and  there  among 
them. 

The  building  was  quite  small,  circular  in  shape,  with  a 

79 


80  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

sort  of  pent  roof,  small  iron-grated  windows,  and  an  iron- 
bound  door,  which  was  padlocked  the  moment  the  service 
was  over.  Under  the  central  arch  of  the  temple  was  a 
low  altar  on  which  burned  a  clear  bright  fire ;  the  smoke 
had  no  means  of  escaping  but  through  the  windows,  which 
made  the  place  rather  unpleasant  to  stay  in  for  any  length 
of  time.  A  number  of  priests  clad  in  simple  white  robes 
and  quite  unadorned  fed  the  sacred  fire*  with  the  dif- 

*  Minute  instructions  for  the  preparation  of  this  sacred  fire  in  case  of 
its  accidental  extinction  or  in  the  first  building  of  a  temple  are  given  in 
the  "  Fargard,"  one  of  the  books  of  the  Zend-Avesta.  Fires  from  six- 
teen different  places  are  necessary.  One  of  the  most  indispensable  in- 
gredients in  the  building  of  the  Fire  is  the  flame  by  which  a  dead  body 
is  burned,  though  the  body  itself  is  held  as  the  most  impure  of  all 
things.  Still,  the  fire  which  has  consumed  it  is  essential,  as  contain- 
ing the  most  mysterious  of  all  created  substances,  "  electricity,"  which 
is  thought  to  be  more  abundant  in  the  human  body  than  elsewhere  in 
nature;  it  is  called  "nacupaka."  This  fire  is  purified  by  a  very  extra- 
ordinary process.  A  certain  number  of  holes  are  prepared  in  the  ground 
called  "  handareza,"  or,  in  modern  Parsee,  "  andaza,"  a  measure.  The 
fire  is  then  placed  in  each  of  these  holes  in  turn,  prayed  over  by  the 
chief  priest  with  closed  eyes,  and  blown  over  with  the  breath,  already 
purified  by  the  prayers  just  uttered. 

The  dyer's  fire,  the  potter's,  the  glass-blower's,  blacksmith's,  brick- 
layer's, gold-  and  silversmith's,  with  phosphorus,  beeswax,  odoriferous 
gums,  many  different  kinds  of  wood,  the  ashes  of  the  rose  and  jessa- 
mine-flower, salt  of  various  kinds,  etc., — all  these  fires  and  substances 
must  be  brought,  after  having  been  purified  by  the  prayers  said  over 
them,  to  one  and  the  same  hearth  or  altar,  called  in  the  ancient  Peh- 
levi  Daityo-gatus,  now  corrupted  into  "  Dadhgah."  The  collective  fire, 
combined  into  one  and  thus  obtained,  represents  the  essence  of  nature, 
the  mystic  wine  of  the  poets,  pervading  the  whole  universe,  even  to 
the  most  distant  stars.  This  "mystic  wine"  or  " life- water "  is  held  to 
be  the  cause  of  all  the  growth,  vigor,  and  splendor  of  the  physical  and 
mental  qualities  of  animals,  men,  birds,  beasts,  and  plants.  It  is  there- 
fore regarded  with  the  deepest  reverence.  Before  the  collection  and 
preparation  of  this  fire  the  priests  who  are  to  take  part  in  the  cere- 
mony must  undergo  great  purification  for  nine  nights,  nine  being  the 
most  sacred  number,  as  it  is  the  period  in  which  the  human  offspring 
is  perfected.  The  priest  must  drink  the  urine  of  a  cow,  sit  on  stones 


PARSEES  OF  BOMBAY  AT  WORSHIP.  81 

ferent  kinds  of  precious  woods,  and  while  some  chanted, 
passing  each  his  sacred  thread  through  the  fingers  of  his 
hands,  others  dropped  perfumes  and  consecrated  oil  into 
the  Fire. 

The  Parsee  women  and  children  sat  or  stood  around 
this  central  fire,  most  of  them  beautifully  dressed.  I  was 
struck  with  the  beauty  and  nobility  of  their  faces  as  they 
worshipped  here  with  their  hands  folded,  their  eyes  closed, 
listening  reverently  to  the  chants  or  praying  silently  to 
themselves. 

A  great  many  silver  trays  full  of  fruit,  sweetmeats,  and 
white  robes  were  placed  on  one  side,  offerings  from  the 
women  to  the  Fire-priests. 

At  the  close  of  the  service  the  entire  congregation  folded 
their  hands  across  their  breasts,  and,  having  bowed  their 
heads,  retired,  leaving  the  priests  to  heap  precious  fuel  on 
the  sacred  fire,  so  as  to  preserve  it  from  going  out,  for 
which  purpose  the  temple  is  regularly  visited  during  each 
day,  and  the  fire  is  carefully  preserved  from  year  to  year 
by  certain  priests  who  take  turns  to  perform  this  most 
religious  duty. 

One  evening  we  went  to  visit,  by  appointment,  one  of 
the  oldest  Fire-priests  in  Bombay,  who  was  also  a  famous 
astrologer.  The  appointment  was  made  by  our  nearest 

European  neighbor  on  Malabar  Hill,  a  Mr.  S ,  an 

Englishman  who  had  lived  a  long  time  in  India,  and  one 
of  our  intimate  friends.  Although  Mr.  S was  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  him,  the  old  priest  had  declined 
to  receive  strangers  until  prevailed  upon  to  do  so  by  Mr. 
S 's  Parsee  friend  and  partner  in  business. 

within  the  enclosures  of  certain  magic  circles;  while  moving  from  one 
circle  to  another  he  must  rub  his  body  with  cow-urine,  and  then  with 
sand,  and  lastly  wash  himself  from  head  to  foot  nine  times  in  pure 
cold  water. 
6 


82  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL,   IN   INDIA. 

We  started  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  after 
a  long  drive  through  the  Parsee  settlement  of  the  native 
town  and  through  a  crowded  and  noisy  bazaar,  our  car- 
riage drew  up  before  a  high,  dilapidated  wooden  build- 
ing. The  balcony  projected  into  the  street,  supported  by 
rickety  wooden  pillars,  under  which  there  was  a  small 

garden  filled  chiefly  with  herbs  and  plants.  Mr.  S , 

who  had  often  visited  the  house  and  was  familiar  with 
its  ways,  led  us  through  the  little  garden  and  up  a  great 
flight  of  wooden  steps  into  a  corridor  or  hall,  crossing 
which  we  at  length  stood  before  a  very  old  door  which 
was  slightly  ajar,  through  the  opening  of  which  a  light 

streamed  upon  us  in  the  dark  passage.  Mr.  S tapped, 

and  a  voice  feeble  and  tremulous  bade  us  enter.  We  did 
so,  and  in  another  moment  we  were  standing  side  by  side 
with  an  old  Fire-priest,  perhaps  the  oldest  in  the  world. 
He  did  not  move  or  speak,  or  even  turn  his  eyes  upon 
us. 

An  old  Ethiopian  servant  present  pointed  to  us  to  be 
seated  on  some  cushions  near  by  until  his  master  had 
finished  his  evening  prayer.  We  silently  took  our  places 
on  the  seats  and  looked  on.  In  the  centre  of  the  room, 
which  was  woefully  shabby  and  coarsely  built,  stood  a 
three-legged  stand,  and  on  it  was  a  round  earthen  lamp 
filled  with  cocoanut  oil  and  containing  depressions  at  the 
sides  for  wicks,  of  which  there  were  just  seven  burning. 
Before  it  stood  the  Fire-priest,  his  dress,  a  long  dingy- 
looking  robe  which  might  once  have  been  white,  flowing 
down  to  his  emaciated  feet,  which  were  bare.  But  as  his 
lips  moved  in  prayer,  and  his  thin  dark  fingers  passed 
over  and  over  his  sacred  thread  or  girdle,  that  mystic  em- 
blem of  his  faith,  there  was  an  indescribable  reflection  of 
some  unseen  interior  light  on  his  wan  and  pallid  features ; 
he  hardly  looked  old,  so  wonderfully  was  his  countenance 


THE   FIRE-PRIEST   READS  OUR  HOROSCOPES.          83 

lit  up  with  a  serene  and  beautiful  expression  of  peace  and 
happiness. 

The  floor  of  the  room  was  made  of  planks  roughly 
hewn  and  rudely  put  together.  A  number  of  curious  old 
parchments  were  piled  up  on  one  side;  pots,  earthen 
lamps,  vases,  flowers,  shawls,  carpets,  bedding,  and  a 
number  of  embroidered  silk  cushions  lay  in  seeming  con- 
fusion about  the  floor.  The  Ethiopian  attendant,  who 
looked  almost  as  old  as  his  master,  grinned  at  us  from  his 
corner,  showing  plainly  that  he  had  lost  nearly  all  his 
teeth ;  but  no  word  was  spoken. 

His  prayers  over,  the  aged  Fire-priest  put  off  his  long 
robe  and  dark  conical  cap,  which  were  replaced  by  a  short 
gray  angraka,  or  coat,  and  close-fitting  skull-cap,  reveal- 
ing a  few  locks  of  long  scanty  gray  hair.  He  then  turned 

to  Mr.  S ,  took  both  his  hands  kindly  in  his  own,  and 

saluted  him  by  raising  them  to  his  forehead  three  times, 
and  then  he  did  the  same  to  us. 

After  an  interval  of  about  an  hour  or  so  spent  in  pleas- 
ant conversation,  during  which  we  learned  that  the  Dus- 
toor  or  Fire-priest  Bhejah  was  a  native  of  Surat,  and  had 
come  to  the  island  of  Bombay  about  forty  years  before  with 
his  family,  every  member  of  whom  he  had  survived  save 
some  distant  connections  still  living  in  Surat,  we  begged 
him  to  read  our  horoscopes  for  us. 

The  old  Dustoor  rose  at  once,  as  if  pleased  at  our 
request,  and  with  great  alacrity  led  the  way  through  a 
long  narrow  passage  and  up  another  old  wooden  staircase 
into  a  small  chamber  open  to  the  sky  by  a  curious  contri- 
vance, a  sort  of  trapdoor,  which  was  let  down  in  rainy 
weather.  There  was  a  bench  in  one  corner  of  this  room ; 
in  the  middle  a  circular  table  which  revolved  on  a  pivot, 
painted  with  curious  hieroglyphics,  and  beside  it  a  three- 
legged  stool.  As  soon  as  we  had  taken  our  seats  on  the 


84  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

bench,  the  Dustoor  drew  out  from  under  the  table  a  board 
chequered  black  and  red  and  a  piece  of  chalk,  and,  taking 
the  dim  horn  lantern  that  stood  in  a  niche  in  the  wall,  set 
it  on  the  table.  This  done,  he  turned  to  me  and  ques- 
tioned me  very  closely  in  Hindostauee  about  the  day,  year, 
hour,  and  almost  moment,  of  my  birth.  All  such  ques- 
tions as  I  had  it  in  my  power  to  reply  to  he  put  down  in 
what  seemed  to  me  signs  and  figures  in  one  of  the  squares 
on  his  peculiar  black  and  red  board. 

This  was  a  work  of  some  time,  for  every  now  and  then 
he  seemed  doubtful  of  his  operations,  rubbing  out  and  re- 
placing the  signs  and  figures  .in  new  squares.  When  he 
had  scrawled  on  the  board  to  his  satisfaction  he  began  to 
compare  it  with  the  hieroglyphics  on  his  revolving  table, 
deciphering  and  studying  the  stars  on  each  of  his  tablets 
with  the  utmost  care.  He  then  turned  up  his  wan  face 
and  began  to  gaze  alternately  at  the  bit  of  sky  seen 
through  the  open  trapdoor  and  to  examine  the  strange 
hieroglyphics  on  the  table.  The  stars  presiding  at  my 
birth  were  evidently  unpropitious.  He  foretold  for  me 
many  deaths  among  relations  and  friends,  long  and  cruel 
separations  by  strange  seas  and  oceans  being  placed  be- 
tween my  friends  and  me ;  softening  it  off,  however,  by 
predicting  a  long  life,  a  happy  old  age,  and  a  numerous 
progeny  of  grand-  and  great-grandchildren ;  which,  in- 
deed, are  the  chief  sources  of  happiness  in  the  Parsee 
household. 

He  then  foretold  my  husband's  future,  which  was  even 
less  auspicious,  saying  that  a  great  shadow  of  one  of  the 
planets  would  cross  his  path  in  middle  life,  which  if  he 
survived  he  would  live  to  a  good  old  age,  etc.,  etc. 

It  was  not  what  the  old  astrologer  and  Fire-priest  said 
so  much  as  his  perfect  faith  in  his  own  rendering  of  the 
position  of  the  stars  that  most  impressed  me.  The  float- 


OATH  AS,  OR   HYMNS  OF  THE   FIRE-WORSHIPPERS.    85 

ing  locks  of  gray  hair,  the  serious  brow,  the  deep, 
thoughtful,  contemplative  look  on  that  face,  were  all 
very  striking :  his  head  full  of  the  mystery  of  the  stars 
and  his  heart  ever  revolving  the  secret  destiny  of  human 
life  were  as  strange  and  marked  as  any  of  the  many  lives 
whose  future  he  believed  he  could  so  easily  decipher. 

In  the  Zend-Avesta — or,  more  properly,  the  Avesta- 
Zand — the  religious  books  of  the  Parsees,  we  find  the 
Gathas,  or  sacred  hymns,  of  the  ancient  Fire-priests,  and 
these  in  their  turn  may  be  traced  directly  to  the  Rig 
Vedas,  the  oldest  of  the  Aryan  Scriptures,  a  collection  of  a 
thousand  hymns,  more  or  less,  called  "  Mantras,"  or  Mind- 
born  songs,  composed  and  recited  by  various  priests  and 
poets,  the  earliest  of  whom  lived  about  three  thousand, 
and  the  latest  not  far  from  twenty-six  hundred,  years  ago. 
These  hymns,  some  of  which  are  very  beautiful,  composed 
and  sung  long  before  the  Aryans  left  their  home  in  the 
Hindoo  Kush*  Mountains,  were  inspired  by  its  soaring 
mountains — "roofs  of  the  world,"  as  they  called  them 
— capped  with  snow,  clear  blue  skies,  and  by  the  rush- 
ing waters  leaping  in  gladness  out  of  the  heart  of  the 
hills. 

"  They  found  the  mountains  ever  near  mighty  to  de- 
fend them,  the  lakes  and  rivers  eager  to  serve  thern."f 
"  Sparkling  bright  with  mighty  splendor,  she  carries  the 
clouds  across  the  plains ;  the  uncouquered  Siudhui,  Indus, 
the  quickest  of  the  quick,  like  a  beautiful  mare,  a  sight 
to  see ;  by  their  swiftness,  depth,  as  well  as  by  the  sweet- 
ness of  their  waters;  the  birds  by  their  delicious  warb- 
ling ;  the  winds  by  the  fragrant  dust  of  flowers  which  they 

*  The  "Hindoo  Kush,"  name  for  the  Caucasian  Mountains. 

f  See  Max  Miiller's  The  Origin  and  Growth  of  Religion,  p.  195,  "The 
Giithas,  or  Sacred  Songs  of  the  Parsees."  See  Haug's  essays  on  "the 
Zend-Avesta." 


86  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

bore  along  on  their  invisible  wings,  the  clouds  by  their  re- 
freshing shadows." 

Light,  as  seen  in  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  dawn  and 
sunrise,  fire  in  all  its  mysterious  forms — the  spark  struck 
from  the  flint,  the  fire  that  burned  their  oblations,  the 
holy  flames  that  were  lighted  on  the  domestic  hearth — be- 
came their  earliest  objects  of  worship.  These  they  cele- 
brate in  the  Rig  Vexla,  and  in  these  they  saw,  with  their 
deep  intuitive  insight,  thousands  of  years  ago,  an  "all- 
productive  cosmic  energy/' 

Thus,  the  simple  act  of  rubbing  two  dried  pieces  of 
wood  together  in  order  to  obtain  fire  became  a  religious 
ceremony,  and  the  tiny  flint  which  served  to  kindle  fire 
became  their  first  idol,  and  gave  those  ancient  Aryans  the 
first  hint  of  the  wonderous  power  of  heat,  at  once  their 
god,  the  ministering  angel  of  their  lives,  and  their  first 
step  toward  civilization. 

This  vital  fire  of  the  universe,  with  every  upward  dart 
of  flame  issuing  out  of  the  cold,  hard  rock,  starting  out 
of  dried  wood,  streaming  in  jets  spontaneously  out  of  the 
heart  of  the  earth  itself,  and  flaming  luridly  from  moun- 
tain-tops, was  an  object  so  full  of  mystery,  so  potent,  ever 
present,  even  when  invisible,  ever  within  call,  lurking  in 
the  rock  and  air,  water  and  tree,  waiting  to  be  called  into 
life,  vanishing  at  a  breath,  naturally  became  the  highest 
symbol  of  the  unseen  to  those  primitive  worshippers  of 
nature. 

The  early  Aryan  priest,  who  was  to  his  race  what  our 
poets  and  thinkers  are  to  us  to-day,  on  awakening  at  dawn 
turned  his  face  to  the  east,  and,  waiting  for  the  light, 
cried,  "Arise!  arise!  the  breath  of  our  life  has  come,  the 
darkness  has  fled."  The  fire  had  to  be  kindled  by  men. 
"  She,  the  Dawn,  brought  us  light  by  striking  down  dark- 
ness.— Shine  for  us  with  thy  best  rays,  Q  thou  bright 


THREE   MYSTICAL   INTERPRETATIONS  OF  AVESTA.   87 

Dawn !  thou  who  lengthenest  our  lives,  thou  beloved  of 
all,  thou  mother  of  the  morning  clouds,  leader  of  the  days, 
gold-colored  and  lovely  to  behold !"  When  the  sun  at 
last  climbed  the  mountain-tops  and  shone  upon  his  wor- 
shipper, he  sang  a  deeper  hymn  of  joy  to  the  Creator : 
"  In  the  beginning  there  arose  the  source  of  golden  light. 
He  was  the  first-born  lord  of  all  that  is.  He  established 
the  earth  and  the  sky.  He  gives  us  life,  he  gives  us 
strength — whose  shadow  is  immortality,  whose  absence  is 
death — he  who  through  his  power  is  the  only  king  of 
this  breathing  and  awakening  world."* 

These  songs  were  not  only  sung,  but  transmitted  from 
father  to  son,  long  before  the  age  of  a  written  alphabet,  as 
a  sacred,  inviolable  inheritance,  preserved  from  century  to 
century  in  the  religious  memory  of  the  Aryan  priest,  even 
as  they  were  recited  to  us  evening  after  evening  at  the 
"  Aviary  "  by  our  modern  pundit  without  book  or  notes 
or  text. 

The  pictures  these  songs  present  of  the  deep  religious 
and  poetic  fervor  of  the  early  Aryans,  both  before  and 
after  their  descent  into  the  plains  of  India,  of  their  pas- 
toral and  agricultural  life,  divided  into  separate  and  dis- 
tinct classes,  as  priest,  king,  shepherd,  warrior,  and  tiller 
of  the  soil,  are  in  themselves  the  most  comprehensive  and 
valuable  of  historical  records. 

The  first  and  most  important  fact  to  be  found  in  the 
study  of  these  hymns  is  that  every  home,  every  dwelling, 
has  its  own  altar,  which  is  the  family  hearth,  called  the 
"dadgah"  by  the  Fire- worshippers — that  "holy  of  holies" 
of  which  father  and  mother  were  priest  and  priestess.  This 
fire  is  the  ancient  "  avesta,"  to  which  were  attached  three 
mystical  interpretations — first,  "womanly  purity;"  second, 
the  "  inviolability  of  the  family ;"  and  third,  "  the  sacred- 
*  See  Max  Miiller's  Chips  from  a  Ctfrman  Workshop. 


88  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

ness  attached  to  the  mother  as  the  transmitter  of  human 
life." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  from  the  Assyrians,  Chaldeans, 
and  the  early  Iranians,  who  were  then  one  with  the  purer 
Hindoos  of  to-day,  this  worship  of  nature,  and  especially 
of  fire  in  its  triple  significance,  was  propagated  southward 
among  the  Egyptians,  westward  among  the  Greeks,  and 
by  them  introduced  into  Italy. 

The  Greeks  met  together  to  worship  in  their  Prytaneia. 
Here  they  consulted  together  for  the  public  good,  and 
there  was  a  constant  fire  burning  on  the  altar,  which  was 
called  "  vesta."  The  Vestal  Virgins  of  the  Romans  had 
their  origin  in  the  same  idea.  Many  of  the  oldest  and 
some  of  the  most  modern  usages  still  to  be  found  among 
the  Parsees,  Hindoos,  Jews,  Greeks,  Mohammedans,  and 
Roman  Catholics  bear  reference  to  this  early  worship  of 
the  "  household  fire,"  and  many  of  the  problems,  puzzles, 
and  contradictions  that  are  found  in  the  religious  symbols 
of  the  world  stand  clear  and  evident  when  submitted  to 
this  light. 

The  word  "  Light "  is  used  in  the  New  Testament  as 
the  highest  symbol  of  Christ — "  the  Light  of  the  world," 
"  the  Light  that  lighteth  every  man  who  cometh  into  the 
world."  Every  instance  also  of  God's  acceptance  of  sacri- 
fice and  prayer  in  the  Old  Testament  is  made  evident  to 
the  people  through  the  medium  of  fire,  as  seen  in  the  case 
of  David,  in  the  dedication  of  Solomon's  temple,  and  when 
Elijah  demanded  that  extraordinary  proof  from  Jehovah 
that  Baal  was  not  God.  From  Genesis  to  the  Revelation, 
from  the  first  offerings  of  Cain  and  Abel  to  "the  city 
that  had  no  need  of  a  sun,  neither  of  the  moon,  to  shine 
in  it,  for  the  glory  of  the  Lord  did  lighten  it  and  the 
Lamb  is  the  light  thereof,"  this  symbol  of  light  is 
the  dearest  to  the  human  heart,  and  ever  recurring  and 


THE   PARSEES  USE   FIRE  AS   A   SYMBOL.  89 

conspicuous  as  the  fittest  and  purest  to  be  applied  to  the 
Deity. 

It  is  as  a  symbol,  not  as  a  material  element,  that  the 
worshippers  of  fire  have  clung  to  it  through  all  times; 
and  their  adherence  and  tenacity  are  all  the  more  remark- 
able when  we  consider  the  changes  that  have  passed  over 
all  primitive  institutions.  We  ourselves  have  had  a  suc- 
cession of  different  religions  and  gods — the  divinities  of 
the  Phoenicians,  then  those  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans, 
which  superseded  the  terrible  gods  of  the  Norsemen  and 
the  aboriginal  deities  of  the  Druids,  our  ancestors.  All 
these  in  time  have  given  place  to  the  sublime  teachings 
of  Christ.  Our  religious  forms  are  changing  even  to-day 
as  religious  convictions  become  wider,  deeper,  and  more 
comprehensive  than  ever. 

But  the  Parsees,  those  ancient  Sun-  and  Fire-worship- 
pers, still  offer  up  their  prayers  in  the  old  Pehlevi — a  lan- 
guage which  is  the  elder  sister  of  the  ancient  Sanskrit 
— in  which  the  Zend-Avesta,  the  sacred  books  of  the 
Zoroastrians,  are  written,  and  older  by  far  than  the  cunei- 
form inscriptions  of  Cyrus,  Darius,  and  Xerxes ;  *  still 
wear  the  same  old  conical  cap  in  the  form  of  ascending 
flame,  preserved  in  the  shape  of  the  bishop's  mitre  in  the 
Christian  symbolic  dress;  still  adhere  to  the  rites,  cere- 
monies, manners,  and  customs  peculiar  to  their  earliest 
fathers,  invoking  the  invisible  fire  upon  which  they 
called  centuries  before  the  building  of  the  temple  of 
Solomon. 

The  race  has  survived  the  destruction  of  Babylon  and 
Assyria — outlived  the  beautiful  gods  of  the  Greeks,  who 
beat  them  down  by  land  and  sea.  It  has  persistently 
overcome  the  hatred  and  persecution  of  the  Scythian  and 
Tartar  hordes,  the  rage  and  fury  of  the  Moslems,  the 
*  See  Max  Mullens  Science  of  Religion,  Lecture  IV.,  page  iii. 


90  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

intolerance  and  prejudice  of  all  sects  and  nations,  and, 
strange  to  say,  even  when  placed  between  the  currents  of 
new  ideas,  which  ceaselessly  move  and  transform  those 
around  them,  the  Fire- worshipper,  like  the  Jew,  stands 
alone,  as  if  he  were  beyond  time  and  above  change. 

From  the  time  of  Xerxes,  four  hundred  and  eighty-six 
years  B.  c.,  we  have  to  date  the  decline  of  the  Persian  em- 
pire. Even  the  old  heroic  name  of  Iran — Ayiran,  from 
the  Sanskrit  Ariya,  "the  noble" — has  passed  away  for 
the  word  Persia,  which,  whether  we  apply  it  to  the 
country,  to  the  people,  or  to  the  language,  is  a  misnomer. 
Pars,  or  Fars,  is  only  a  province  of  the  great  empire  of 
"  Iran."  It  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  language  of 
its  chief  city,  Shiraz,  was  considered  the  most  elegant  and 
fashionable  speech  of  the  Iranians  that  the  name  of  the 
province  Pars  was  gradually  used  to  distinguish  the  peo- 
ple, the  entire  country,  and  the  language. 

To  the  ancient  world  Zoroastrianism  was  known  by  the 
name  of  "  Mazdasnah  "  or  "  Mazday_asnah,"  the  doctrine 
of  "universal  knowledge."  It  was  revealed  by  the  "Pure 
Spirit,"  called  also  the  "  Excellent  Word,"  pure,  efficacious 
— "  the  word  that  Zoroaster  has  conveyed  to  men,"  which 
is  the  "  Good  Law."  The  priests  were  called  Madhi,  or 
middlemen,  go-betweens,  corrupted  into  Magi,  which  name 
is  very  commonly  applied  to  the  priests  of  the  Zoroastrian 
religion  by  the  Greek  authors,  beginning  with  Herodotus, 
who  had  travelled  in  Media  and  confounded  the  name  of 
the  priests  of  Magism  and  the  Median  religion  with  that 
of  Zoroastrianism. 

It  is  impossible  to  fix  exactly  the  era  when  the  great 
reformer  Zarathustra — "  splendor  of  gold  " — lived.  The 
Greek  and  Roman  historians  make  him  very  ancient. 
Xanthos  of  Lydia,  470  B.  c.,  the  first  Greek  writer  who 
mentions  Zoroaster,  is  convinced  that  he  must  have  flour- 


ZOROASTER  THE  FOUNDER  OF  A  DYNASTY.          91 

ished  about  six  hundred  years  before  the  Trojan  war. 
Aristotle  and  Eudoxus  place  his  era  even  earlier.  Be- 
rosus,  the  Chaldean  priest  and  historian,  who  translated 
the  history  of  his  native  country,  Babylonia,  into  the 
Greek  language,  and  dedicated  the  work  to  Antiochus, 
one  of  the  Greek  kings  of  Syria,  makes  him  a  king,  or 
rather  founder  of  a  dynasty  which  reigned  over  Babylon 
between  2200  and  2000  B.  c.*  The  Fire- worshippers 
hold  that  their  great  priest  and  reformer  lived  about  five 
hundred  and  fifty  years  B.  c.  They  identify  him  with 
the  great  Kavan-Vistaspa  of  the  Zend-Avesta,  called 
Khai  Gustasp  in  the  Shahnamah.'f  But  it  is  very  evi- 
dent that  even  the  ancient  Persians  themselves  were  very 
uncertain  as  to  who  this  Kavan  Vistaspa  was.  It  is  clear, 
however,  that  Darius's  father,  who  was  also  named  Vis- 

*  See  Rawlinson's  Ancient  Monarchies,  where  he  identifies  Zoroaster 
with  the  celebrated  Median  king  Kudur-Xakhunta,  and  says :  "A  king 
of  Elam,  whose  court  was  held  at  Susa,  led  in  the  year  B.  c.  2286  (or  a 
little  earlier)  an  expedition  against  the  cities  of  Chaldsea,  succeeded  in 
carrying  all  before  him,  ravaged  the  country,  took  the  towns,  plundered 
the  temples,  and  bore  off  the  images  of  the  deities  which  the  Babylon- 
ians especially  reverenced.  This  king's  name,  which  was  Kudur-Nak- 
hunta,  is  thought  to  be  the  exact  equivalent  of  one  which  has  a  world- 
wide celebrity — to  wit,  Zoroaster.  Now,  according  to  Polyhistor,  who 
certainly  repeats  Berosus,  Zoroaster  was  the  first  of  those  eight  Median 
kings  who  composed  the  second  dynasty  in  Chaldaea  and  occupied  the 
throne  from  about  B.  c.  2286  to  2052.  The  Medes  are  represented  by 
him  as  capturing  Babylon  at  this  time,  and  imposing  themselves  as 
rulers  upon  the  country.  Eight  kings  reign  in  the  space  of  234  or  224 
years,  after  which  we  hear  no  more  of  Medes,  the  sovereignty  being  (as 
it  would  seem)  recovered  by  the  natives.  The  coincidences  of  the  con- 
quest, the  date,  the  foreign  sovereignty,  and  the  name  Zoroaster,  tend 
to  identify  the  Median  dynasty  of  Berosus  with  a  period  of  Susanian 
supremacy  which  the  monuments  show  to  have  been  established  in 
Chaldaea  at  a  date  not  long  subsequent  to  the  reigns  of  Urukh  and 
Ilgi,  and  to  have  lasted  for  a  considerable  period." 

t  A  collection  of  heroic  poems  on  the  ancient  histories  of  Persia  and 
her  kings,  by  Firdoosi. 


92  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

taspa,  and  the  Kavan-Vistaspa  of  the  Zend-Avesta  and 
the  Shahnamah,  were  entirely  distinct  persons. 

There  is  very  little  doubt  that  this  confusion  of  opin- 
ions is  owing  to  the  similarity  of  names.  A  very  common 
habit  even  in  India  to-day  is  to  name  persons  after  heroic 
kings,  great  priests,  or  even  after  the  gods,  without  any 
mark  being  added  to  distinguish  them  in  after  years ;  and 
when  any  period  of  time  has  elapsed  it  is  almost  irnpos- 
ible  to  separate  the  personality  of  the  father  from  the  son, 
or  the  disciple  from  the  teacher,  or  the  priest  from  the  god. 
Zoroaster,  or  rather  "  Zara  Thustra,"  means  illustrious 
like  gold,  or,  in  another  sense,  simply  high  priest ;  and 
this  being  taken  afterward  as  the  proper  name  of  the  cel- 
ebrated priest  and  reformer  of  ancient  Iran,  gave  rise  to 
the  endless  confusion  of  dates  and  opinions  which  has 
always  prevailed  with  regard  to  the  age  in  which  he  lived. 

There  is,  however,  internal  evidence  in  the  language 
and  religion  which  he  reformed  that  he  lived  at  a  very 
early  age,  and  there  are  many  traces  of  his  great  antiquity 
in  the  Zend-Avesta  itself.  First,  that  he  stands  at  the 
head  of  the  extensive  Zend  literature,*  which  must  have 
required  centuries  for  its  growth,  and  which  was  already 
in  a  state  of  perfection  when  Buddha,  the  founder  of 
Buddhism,  was  born,  from  four  to  five  hundred  years 
before  Christ;  and  secondly,  that  he  is  expressly  called 
Aryana  Ve£dgo,  "  the  celebrated  one,"  in  the  Aryan  home 
whence  the  Aryans,  now  called  Hindoos,  emigrated  in 
times  immemorial.  This  title,  Martin  Haug  justly  ob- 
serves, would  not  have  been  given  him  had  his  followers 
not  believed  him  living  at  that  early  time.  Under  no  cir- 
cumstance can  we  assign  to  him  a  later  date  than  the  year 
1000  B.C. 

*  See  Martin  Hang's  Esuays  on  the  Sacred  Language,  Writings,  and 
Religion  of  the  Parsees. 


VEDIC  GODS   THE   DEVILS  OF   FIKE-WORSHIPPERS.    93 

The  causes  which  led  to  the  schism  between  the  early 
Fire-worshippers  may  be  readily  learned  from  the  Zend- 
Avesta,  where  the  gods  of  the  dissenters  are  called  "dSvas" 
(to  whence  our  word  devil)  by  the  orthodox  "  Soshyantos," 
or  Fire-priests.  It  was  a  vital  and  successful  struggle 
against  that  form  of  the  early  religion  which  inclined  to 
Brahmanism,  and  later  to  open  idolatry.  Thus,  for  in- 
stance, the  V6dic  gods  Aditya,  Mitra,  Yaruna,  and  Indra 
became  the  devils  of  the  Zoroastrian  religion ;  and  this 
struggle  must  have  taken  place  when  Indra  was  declared 
the  chief  of  the  gods  by  a  large  portion  of  the  Aryans, 
before  they  had  immigrated  into  Hindostan  proper.  In 
the  later  period  of  V£dic  literature  we  find  Indra  at  the 
head  of  the  gods;  then  in  the  great  epics,  the  Maha- 
bharata  and  Ramayana,  he  gives  place  to  the  Trimourtri, 
Brahma,  Vishnu,  and  Siva.  A  compromise  was  thus  ef- 
fected between  the  esoteric  doctrine  of  the  metaphysicians 
and  the  common  forms  of  worship,  giving  rise  to  what 
was  henceforth  to  constitute  the  orthodox  system  of  belief 
of  the  Brahmanic  caste.  The  V£dic  pantheon,  however, 
is  not  altogether  discarded  in  the  Zend-Avesta ;  the  exist- 
ence of  the  old  gods  is  recognized,  but  in  a  very  different 
way  from  that  of  the  mysterious  triple  divinity  which  rep- 
resents not  only  the  eternal,  infinite  soul,  but  Brahma 
himself  in  his  active  relation  to  mundane  occurrences; 
and  moreover,  as  the  Trimourtri  is  never  alluded  to  in 
the  Zend-Avesta,  where  most  of  the  other  V£dic  gods  are 
named,  we  are  obliged  to  fix  the  religious  struggle  at  a 
much  earlier  date  than  that  assigned  to  the  Indian  poems. 

The  only  source  whence  we  derive  anything  like  re- 
liable historical  facts,  and  those  of  the  most  meagre  kind, 
respecting  this  great  reformer  Zoroaster,  is  in  the  Yasnahs, 
where  he  is  distinguished  by  his  family  name  S'pitama. 
His  father's  name  was  Poorooshaspa.  Of  his  children, 


94  LIFE  AND  TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

only  his  son  S'pitama  and  his  daughter  Poroochista  are 
mentioned.  In  these  fragments,  rather  than  books,  he 
appears  to  us  as  a  real  man,  earnest,  strong,  and  true,  just 
and  generous  in  every  act  of  his  life,  taking  a  prominent 
part  in  the  history  of  his  country  and  the  welfare  of  his 
fellow-creatures.  It  was  he  who  struck  a  deathblow  to 
the  idolatrous  practices  that  had  crept  in  among  the  Fire- 
priests — who  established  in  his  own  country  a  new  com- 
munity, governed  by  new  laws ;  he  called  upon  every  man 
to  take  his  part  in  the  battle  between  good  and  evil,  add- 
ing the  firm  assurance  that  good  will  always  prevail.  In 
his  own  works  he  calls  himself  a  "  Dutah " — i.  e.  "  a 
messenger  " — sent  by  the  great  Ahura-Mazda.  His  ideal 
of  home,  of  father  and  mother  living  together  under  one 
roof  in  freedom  and  love  and  unity,  cemented  by  a  su- 
preme and  unalterable  bond  of  love  and  friendship,  has 
never  yet  been  equalled  save  by  Christianity. 

This  remarkable  reformer,  according  to  the  Yasnahs, 
was  born  in  the  sacerdotal  city  of  Eagha,  near  Teheran, 
the  capital  of  Persia.  His  father  was  an  aged  priest  named 
Poorooshaspa,  a  man  noted  for  his  purity  of  life.  Like 
all  such  histories,  his  birth  was  miraculously  ordained.* 
One  evening  as  Poorooshaspa  and  Dhogdha  his  wife,  a 
childless  old  couple,  were  praying  in  a  lonely  place,  the 
atmosphere  around  them  became  suddenly  luminous.  They 
looked  up,  and  saw  a  form  of  exquisite  beauty  standing  in 
the  midst  of  a  bright  cloud,  and  as  they  gazed  upon  this 
beautiful  vision  there  was  handed  to  them  a  cup  fashion- 
ed out  of  an  amethyst  filled  with  the  wine  of  heaven. 
"  Drink  this,"  said  the  angel,  "  and  renew  your  youth,  for 

*  The  Persian  writers  of  the  Middle  Ages  ascribed  to  Zoroaster  a 
long  series  of  prodigies  and  miracles  without  end;  to  which  both 
Pliny  and  Eubulus,  giving  the  last  echoes  of  popular  traditions, 
allude. 


ZOROASTER  REFORMS  HIS   COUNTRY'S  RELIGION.     95 

Ahura-Mazda  has  chosen  you  to  bring  a  savior  into  the 
world."  Having  drank  the  wine,  they  became  the  parents 
of  one  son,  S'pitama. 

It  is  related  that  the  ruler  of  the  city  of  Ragha  sought 
to  destroy  the  child;  at  his  command  he  was  snatched 
from  his  mother's  arms  and  thrown  into  a  narrow  lane 
where  cattle  passed,  in  the  hope  that  they  might  tread  him 
to  death ;  but,  lo  !  in  the  evening  a  sensible  and  motherly 
cow  brought  him  on  her  horns  to  his  weeping,  disconsolate 
mother.  Then  again,  by  the  order  of  the  same  cruel  gov- 
ernor, he  was  cast  into  a  blazing  fire ;  but  he  lay  there 
unscathed,  smiling  so  serenely  upon  his  persecutors  that 
they  were  at  once  converted  into  friends.  In  fact,  every 
attempt  made  by  enemies  to  destroy  the  infant  is  said  to 
have  been  arrested  by  divine  agency.  At  last  the  child 
was  permitted  to  grow  up  unmolested  with  his  friends  and 
relatives,  who  were  among  his  earliest  followers. 

Zoroaster  did  not  so  much  reveal  a  new  religion  as  re- 
form the  old  Fire-worship  of  his  country.  He  abolished 
stone  images,  necromancy,  magic,  witchcraft,  all  of  which 
were  identified  with  the  worship  of  fire.  He  investigated 
astrology,  and  confirmed  its  practices  as  true  and  elevating. 
He  inspired  the  old  materialistic  teaching  of  the  Fire- 
priests  with  a  new  and  more  spiritual  meaning.  He  made 
Avar  on  the  idolatrous  practices  of  his  fellow-men,  and 
banished  from  Iran  all  who  still  bowed  down  before  wood 
and  stone.  At  the  age  of  thirty  he  completed  a  new  code 
of  laws,  and  also  the  Zend-Avesta,  with  the  Izeshnee,  a 
still  more  sacred  book.  He  distinctly  recognized,  above 
and  beyond  all  manifestions  of  sun,  light,  or  fire,  a  purer, 
higher,  unconditioned  Being.*  When  moved  by  deepest 
awe  he  bowed  his  head  and  reverently  called  this  Being 

*  The  Uncreated,  the  Eternal.  He  has  had  no  beginning,  and  will 
have  no  end. — The  Yasnahs. 


96  LIFE   AND  TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

"the  Truth  of  the  Truth,  the  Wisdom  of  the  Wise,  the 
Purity  of  the  Pure."  So  also  in  his  famous  prayer  of  one- 
and-twenty  words,  "  The  world  is  produced,  and  all  that 
is  good  in  thought,  word,  and  deed,  because  of  the  Truth." 

The  problem  of  the  origin^ofjeyil,  the  most  difficult  to 
be  solved,  seems  to  have  been  constantly  before  his  mind. 
It  seemed  to  him  impossible  that  the  Truth,  whom  he  con- 
ceived to  be  eternally  pure,  good,  just,  and  perfect,  had 
created  evil.  The  ancient  Aryans  attributed  the  struggles 
in  the  physical  world  around  them  to  the  strife  between 
good  and  evil ;  Zoroaster  seized  this  idea,  applied  it  with 
the  deepest  emphasis  to  the  moral  and  spiritual  world,  and 
it  became  the  basis  of  his  system  of  dualism.  Together 
with  Ahura-Mazda,  the  good  principle,  he  admitted  the 
existence  of  an  evil  principle  or  spirit  equal  in  power  and 
of  a  similar  nature  * — Angra  Mainyus ;  in  Persian  Ahri- 
man.  This  spirit  is  the  author  of  all  moral  and  physical 
evil,  sin,  disease,  suffering,  and  death. 

All  things,  created  by  Ahura-Mazda  pronouncing  the 
creating,  pre-existing  word  "  Honover,"  were  pure,  per- 
fect, and  beautiful  as  himself  until  spoiled  by  the  evil  in- 
fluence of  Ahriman.  And  though  Ahriman,  like  Ahura- 
Mazda,  has  been  eternal  and  self-existing  in  the  past, 
Zoroaster  declares  that  a  day  will  come  when  three  great 
prophets  will  arise,  Ukhsyad-eremah,  "the  increasing 
Light,"  Ukhsyad-eretah,  "  the  increasing  Truth,"  A9tvad- 
ereta,  "self-existent  Truth,"  who  will  convert  all  man- 
kind; everything  created  will  become  as  pure  as  on  the 

*  To  reconcile  the  existence  of  these  two  absolute  Beings,  coequal  and 
coeternal,  the  doctrine  of  the  Zarvanians  was  conceived  in  later  times. 
This  sect,  which  flourished  about  the  time  of  Alexander  the  Great, 
supposed  an  unconditioned  existence  prior  and  superior  to  Ahura- 
Mazda,  Ormuzd,  and  Ahriman,  called  "  time  without  limit,"  Zaravan- 
Akarana,  from  whom  emanated  the  two  spirits  or  principles  of  good 
and  evil. 


HEALTH   FIRST,   THEN   IMMORTALITY.  97 

first  day  when  it  issued  from  the  breath  of  the  "  Wisest 
of  all  Intelligence,"  and  Ahriman  will  be  destroyed  and 
disappear  for  ever. 

Such  is  the  real  doctrine  of  Zoroaster,  while  the  hymns 
of  the  Zend-Avesta  glow  and  burn  with  the  assurance  of 
the  mystic  and  essential  life  of  the  soul  with  the  spiritual 
essence  of  all  pure  thought.  The  pure  heavens  are  like 
light ;  thought  is  likened  to  a  drop  of  pure  light,  and  the 
departing  spirit  has  a  sunbeam  for  its  guide  to  conduct  it 
to  immortal  light. 

In  the  Gathas,  or  Songs,  he  says :  "  God  appears  in  the 
best  thought,  the  truest  speech,  and  the  sincerest  action. 
He  gives  through  his  pure  spirit  health,  prosperity,  devo- 
tion "  (which,  more  properly  translated,  ought  to  be  "  love  "), 
"  and  eternity  to  this  universe.  He  is  the  Father  of  all 
truth  and  the  Mother  of  all  tenderness." 

It  is  very  remarkable  that  the  early  Aryans  looked 
upon  disease,  deformity,  and  weakness  in  the  same  light 
that  we  are  apt  to  regard  the  depraved  and  vicious. 
Health  was  the  first  and  greatest  boon,  the  gift  they  sup- 
plicated most  earnestly  from  heaven.  Health  first,  then 
immortality.  They  seemed  to  loathe  consumption  and 
scrofula,  and  many  of  their  most  energetic  prayers  are 
supplications  to  the  Deity  to  be  preserved  "from  this 
hateful  indwelling  sin,"  as  they  termed  it.  Their  laws 
for  the  happy  treatment  of  women,  especially  in  certain 
conditions  of  health,  of  which  I  shall  treat  in  the  chapter 
on  their  domestic  life,  is  full  of  that  reverence  for  her 
health  and  happiness,  as  well  as  those  of  her  offspring, 
which  is  seen  to  penetrate  the  whole  life  of  the  Fire-wor- 
shipper, passing  as  it  did  in  the  course  of  time  into  a  rigid 
etiquette.  Stern  as  it  is,  it  is  infinitely  better  than  the 
careless  indifference  with  which  the  mother,  "the  trans- 
mitter of  human  life,"  is  so  often  regarded  among  us. 

7 


98  LIFE   AND  TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

In  the  Zend-Avesta  we  find  a  mojral_cojle.  almost  as 
perfect  as  our  own,  with  rather  a  singular  account  of  the 
creation.  In  one  of  the  books,  called  "  Desater,"  it  would 
seem  all  animals  being  created  except  man,  the  dog  was 
dreadfully  lonely,  and  that  man  was  created  only  out 
of  compassion  for  him;  and  no  sooner  was  man  formed 
than  all  the  animals,  save  the  dog,  broke  out  into  open 
rebellion  against  the  Great  Spirit  for  having  favored  man 
with  speech,  reason,  and  immortality. 

As  in  Genesis,  so  in  the  Desater,  the  Great  Spirit  brought 
the  animals  to  Gelshadeng  and  made  them  subject  to  him, 
and  he  it  was  who  divided  them  into  seven  classes.  There 
is  a  curious  dialogue  that  passed  between  the  seven  great 
sages  of  Persia  and  the  seven  different  animals,  and  the 
reasons  given  why  some  are  made  fierce,  others  harmless, 
and  yet  others  beneficent.  In  some  passages  great  vene- 
ration is  expressed  for  the  cow,  and  great  aversion  to  some 
animals,  and  to  the  human  corpse ;  this  is  not  permitted 
either  to  find  a  resting-place  in  the  earth  or  in  the  fire, 
because  of  the  sacredness  of  both  these  elements ;  and  it  is 
commanded  that  it  be  abandoned  to  birds  of  prey  or  to 
absorption  by  the  air  in  enclosures  set  apart  for  the  purpose. 

However,  in  spite  of  many  things  that  seem  childish 
and  absurd  in  their  books  (the  unprejudiced  student  is  not 
always  certain  that  the  right  meaning  of  the  text  has  been 
rendered,  for  the  language  is  full  of  difficulties),  yet  so 
much  is  clear:  that  the  "G&thas"  are  very  beautiful 
hymns  and  full  of  true  religious  feeling.  They  are  ad- 
dressed to  the  household  fire,  to  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars, 
to  the  spirit  of  the  hills,  mountains,  trees,  birds,  and  flow- 
ers, to  the  earth,  air,  and  sea.  The  earth  is  often  called 
the  "  infinite,  the  all-nourishing  cow,"  and  the  sun  is  con- 
sequently, by  the  same  figure,  designated  "  the  fiery-winged 
one,  the  immortal  bull." 


PRECIOUS  STONES   REPRESENT  CERTAIN  VIRTUES.  99 

Then  there  are  prayers  and  songs  to  the  spirits  of  the 
righteous  dead,  to  the  seven  high  angels  around  the  throne, 
the  planets  then  known.  The  most  spiritual  are  those  ad- 
dressed to  Ahura-Mazda,  "the  Everlasting  Light,"  who 
is  described  as  an  ineffable  Being,  full  of  brightness  and 
glory.  Zoroaster  discovers  God  in  the  eternal  invisible 
Fire.  His  wonder  and  joy  over  the  first  kindling  of  the 
flame  arose  from  the  spiritual  symbolism  that  interpreted 
all  nature  to  him.  In  it  he  recognizes  the  type  of  the 
immortal  Light  and  the  spiritual  resurrection  of  the  soul. 
Thrilling  with  religious  fervor,  he  bows  before  the  radiant 
light  as  the  most  subtle  and  all-dissolving  element,  and  in 
feeling  its  mystery  acknowledges  the  mystery  of  God,,  its 
Supreme  Creator. 

Thus,  all  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  ancient  Fire- 
worshippers  abound  in  symbols  which  typify  the  operations 
of  nature,  not  only  in  the  heavens,  but  also  in  the  hidden 
recesses  of  the  earth.  They  attribute  the  maturing  of 
precious  gems  and  metals  to  the  peculiar  influence  of  the 
sun,  moon,  and  stars ;  and  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  they 
called  the  seven  metals  by  the  very  same  names  by  which 
they  denominated  the  seven  planets,  and  the  same  peculiar 
hieroglyphic  characters  are  used  to  this  day  to  distinguish 
both.  Among  them  certain  stones  represented  certain  vir- 
tues, and  not  a  few  were  famed  for  their  magical  properties. 
The  months  of  the  year  were  spirits  who  exerted  their  in- 
fluence over  certain  precious  stones,  which  in  their  turn 
had  power  over  the  destiny  of  any  person  born  during  the 
period  of  their  sway.  Thus  each  month  has  its  own  pre- 
siding genius  in  the  heavens  and  its  appropriate  symbol  in 
the  heart  of  the  earth,  bound  up  with  the  life  and  character 
of  the  individual  born  under  their  combined  influence. 
The  garnet,  symbol  of  the  presiding  spirit  of  January, 
means  constancy;  the  amethyst,  of  February,  sincerity; 


100  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

the  bloodstone,  of  March,  courage  and  presence  of  mind ; 
the  diamond,  of  April,  innocence;  the  emerald,  of  May, 
love ;  the  agate,  of  June,  health  and  long  life ;  the  car- 
nelian,  of  July,  contentment ;  sardonyx,  of  August,  happi- 
ness ;  chrysolite,  of  September,  antidote  against  madness, 
sane  mind ;  opal,  of  October,  hope ;  topaz,  of  November, 
fidelity;  turquoise,  of  December,  prosperity. 

Rings  are  still  used  among  the  more  superstitious  of 
the  Parsees  as  charms  and  talismans  against  the  evil  eye, 
demons,  and  most  of  the  ills  inherent  to  the  human  flesh. 
Sometimes  the  virtue  exists  in  the  stone,  sometimes  in  the 
magical  letters  engraved  upon  it,  which  are  thought  to 
have  the  power  to  preserve  the  owner  from  thunder, 
lightning,  witchcraft,  the  evil  eye,  from  sin,  and  from  tak- 
ing cold  even  when  exposed  to  biting  frosts  and  storms. 

The  ancient  history  of  the  Fire-worshippers  presents  no 
nobler  picture  than  that  of  Zoroaster  traversing  the  wilds 
of  Persia  to  preach  a  purer  doctrine  to  his  fellow-men. 
Before  his  death  he  is  said  to  have  reduced  the  twenty- 
one  books  he  had  written  to  three  immortal  maxims: 
Pure  thoughts,  Pure  words,  Pure  deeds.  "All  pure 
thought  is  spirit-worship,  or  religion,"  said  he,  going  at 
once  to  the  root  of  the  matter,  "  and  all  pure  actions  are 
fed  by  the  immortal  dew  of  heaven ; "  this  dew  is  virtue, 
and  he  calls  it  the  vapor  which  the  pure-hearted  inhale 
from  the  heart  of  the  eternal  Sun. 

What  a  nation  does  thoroughly,  she  does  for  all  time. 
So  it  was  with  the  ancient  Persians :  centuries  after  the 
death  of  their  great  teacher  they  kept  their  faith  in  one 
God  firm  and  inviolate  amid  the  mogt_crushing  ^pfirse- 
qotion.  On  the  final  conquest  of  Persia  the  unrelenting 
soldiers  of  the  Caliphat  forced  at  the  point  of  the  sword 
one  hundred  thousand  persons  daily  to  abjure  their  faith. 
Thousands  upen  thousands  were  slaughtered  daily ;  only  a 


PEESECUTION  OF  THE   FIRE-WORSHIPPERS.         101 

few  escaped  and  fled  to  the  mountains  of  Khorasan,  taking 
with  them  a  lamp  lighted  from  the  sacred  Fire.  From 
these  mountains  they  were  again  driven  forth  by  the  Mo- 
hammedans four  hundred  years  after,  and  the  little  band 
of  Zoroastrians  fled  once  more,  to  the  beautiful  island  of 
Ormuzd,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Persian  Gulf.  Here  perse- 
cution still  followed  them,  and,  driven  out  again,  the  little 
colony  put  to  sea,  still  taking  with  them  their  sacred  lamp, 
which  had  been  preserved  from  extinction  through  all  those 
troublous  years. 

They  had  hardly  lost  sight  of  land  when  a  terrific  storm 
overtook  them,  and  their  little  fleet  was  soon  deprived  of 
all  hope  of  escape.  Voluntarily  exiled  from  their  native 
land,  they  had  fled  from  place  to  place  for  protection ;  the 
mountains  refused  to  hide  them,  the  earth  to  shelter  them, 
and  now  even  the  sea  and  all  the  elements  rose  up  against 
them — all  but  their  little  feeble  lamp,  which,  according  to 
their  historians,  continued  to  burn  brightly  in  spite  of  the 
dreadful  storm.  At  length  the  high  priest  of  Zoroaster 
resolved  to  hoist  their  sacred  lamp  as  a  signal  to  the 
tempest-driven  little  fleet  to  join  in  prayer.  Up  rose  the 
horn  lantern  containing  the  sacred  light  to  the  masthead 
of  the  dahstur's  (or  high  priest's)  vessel.  The  little  fleet 
of  boats  and  ships  tried  to  draw  near  to  the  precious  bea- 
con, but  the  winds  blew  and  the  tempest  beat  upon  their 
vessels.  All  undismayed,  straining  their  utmost  and  peering 
through  the  gloom,  they  turned  them  in  the  direction  of  the 
sacred  light.  Then  up  above  the  din  and  roar  of  that 
angry  surging  sea  the  prayer  of  that  faithful  little  com- 
pany ascended  to  the  Invisible,  the  shining  Ahura-Mazda, 
for  help  in  their  sore  distress. 

Next  morning  the  storm  had  abated,  and  they  landed 
at  IMvaij  on  the  coast  of  Western  Hindostan,  where  they 
disembarked,  and  remained  nineteen  years,  whence  they 


102  LIFE   AND  TEAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

migrated  in  a  body  to  Sajan,  twenty-four  miles  south  of 
Damaun.  The  Hindoo  king,  Ranah  Jayadeva,  granted  an 
asylum  to  the  fugitives. 

After  centuries  of  cruel  persecution  the  exiles  at  length 
found  refuge  from  the  enemies  of  their  faith  among  the 
Hindoos,  who  had  separated  from  them  in  the  dim  dawn 
of  history  because  of  a  religious  feud,  but  whose  antago- 
nism touched  only  names  and  other  non-essential  rites, 
the  worship  of  light  as  the  Creator's  highest  symbol  re- 
maining unchanged  for  both.  Though  they  had  drifted 
farther  and  farther  apart,  the  latter  in  the  multiplying  of 
symbols,  while  the  former  gradually  dispensed  with  even 
those  they  once  regarded  as  a  part  of  their  worship,  they 
still  remained  united  in  their  worship  of  fire. 

In  721  A.  D.  they  erected  their  first  Fire-temple  on  In- 
dian soil  at  Sajan,  and  the  sacred  fire  was  once  more  kin- 
dled on  its  altars  by  means  of  their  little  lamp,  the  flame 
of  which  they  had  so  religiously  preserved.  To  the  Fire- 
worshipper  this  first  temple  on  Indian  soil  seemed  a 
resurrection  of  hope,  of  reality,  striking  deep  into  their 
fervent  hearts  and  binding  them  to  one  another  by  a 
subtler  and  diviner  fire.  From  this  time  the  Parsees  rose 
to  importance  in  India.  They  greatly  aided  the  Portu- 
guese and  Dutch  settlers  in  the  establishment  of  mills 
and  factories  all  along  the  coast  of  Guzerat.  Owing  to 
their  enterprising  spirit,  Surat,  Cambay,  and  Baroda  grew 
into  large  and  influential  cities  and  attracted  all  the  exten- 
sive commerce  of  the  East.  When  the  island  of  Bombay 
was  ceded  to  the  British  a  colony  of  Parsees  emigrated 
thither,  and,  having  purchased  a  part  of  Malabar  Hill 
from  the  British,  built  there  a  Fire-temple  and  a  tower  of 
silence,  or  tomb  for  the  reception  of  their  dead,  and  here 
was  brought  the  same  sacred  fire  and  rekindled  once  more 
on  the  altar  of  their  first  temple  in  Bombay. 


THE  PRESENT   CONDITION  OF  THE  PARSEES.       103 

No  country  in  the  world  has  witnessed  so  many  revo- 
lutions as  Persia.  Nevertheless,  the  moral  and  physical 
condition  of  the  Fire-worshippers,  who  are  still  found  cen- 
tring about  Yezd  and  Ispahan,  has  remained  much  the 
same  as  when  they  called  the  country  their  own.  They  cer- 
tainly are  superior  in  moral  character  to  the  Mohammed- 
ans of  Persia  to-day.  In  the  garden  adjoining  the  harem 
of  the  present  shah  none  are  employed  save  Zoroastrians, 
and  this  is  because  of  their  national  character  for  purity. 
As  for  the  Parsee  women,  they  are  remarkable  for  their 
chastity,  an  unchaste  woman  being  unkown  among  them. 

In  Persia,  however,  the  Parsees  are  subject  to  heavy 
taxation,  from  which  the  Moslem  population  is  entirely 
free,  and  the  distress  to  which  the  poorer  Parsees  are  re- 
duced in  order  to  pay  this  tax  is  deplorable.  Unheard-of 
cruelties  are  practised,  and  many  as  a  last  resource  aban- 
don their  homes  to  escape  the  extortions  of  the  annual  tax- 
gatherer.  All  means  of  instruction  are  also  closed  to  the 
children  of  the  Fire-worshippers  in  Persia.  "  The  Par- 
sees  of  Bombay,  hearing  of  the  distress  of  their  co-relig- 
ionists, have  recently  caused  schools  to  be  established  in 
various  parts  of  Persia,  where  instruction  is  imparted  gra- 
tuitously to  the  children  of  the  Zoroastriaus." 

When  we  remember  that  the  Parsees  of  Bombay  are 
the  descendants  of  a  small  colony  of  ancient  Fire-worship- 
pers who  emigrated  from  Persia  more  than  a  thousand 
years  ago  under  circumstances  the  most  overwhelming,  it 
is  a  matter  of  wonder  that  this  people  should  have  risen 
with  the  progress  of  British  power  in  India  to  wealth, 
honor,  and  dignity  in  every  condition  of  life.  More  than 
once,  even  after  they  had  established  themselves  in  Guze- 
rat,  they  were  all  but  decimated  by  the  sword  of  the  con- 
quering Moslem.  But  up  again  they  rose  each  time,  cre- 
ating anew  the  old  life,  starting  afresh  on  the  same  old 


104  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

basis,  nothing  discouraged,  remembering  with  deeper 
appreciation  the  old  promise  of  their  earliest  priest  and 
founder,  "  that  to  persevering  mortals  the  blessed  immor- 
tals are  swift/' 

It  is  impossible  not  to  be  struck  with  the  life  and  his- 
tory of  this  people — a  history  of  endless  defeat  and  perse- 
cution, a  life  of  the  closest  unity  and  steadfastness.  And 
this  oneness  of  purpose,  by  which  they  have  distinguished 
themselves  for  so  many  centuries,  has  a  still  closer  relation 
to  their  moral  and  religious  character.  Whatever  may  be 
the  errors  and  defects  of  the  religion  of  the  Fire-worship- 
per, the  comprehensiveness  and  unity  of  his  national  cha- 
racter demand  our  respect  and  admiration. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Domestic  Life  of  the  Fire-worshippers. — The  Zend-Avesta. — Parsee 
Bites  and  Ceremonies  at  Birth,  Marriage,  Death,  and  Final  Con- 
signment to  the  Tower  of  Silence. 

BEFORE  we  cross  the  private  threshold  with  a  view  to 
take  a  peep  at  the  domestic  life  of  the  Parsees  it  may  be 
well  to  state  that  "  Avesta,"  in  one  of  its  deepest  significa- 
tions, is  said  to  be  the  symbol  of  womanly  fervor  and 
purity.  Among  the  early  Zoroastrians  it  was  consecrated 
in  the  fire  that  burned  on  the  hearth,  which  typified  the 
inviolability  of  the  family,  through  which  the  sacredness 
attached  to  Asha  *  as  the  centre  and  preserver  of  the  order 

*  "  It  cannot  be  denied,"  says  Max  Miiller  in  his  Origin  and  Growth 
of  Religion,  "  that  in  the  Avesta,  as  in  the  Veda,  Asha  may  often  be  trans- 
lated by  purity,  and  that  it  is  most  frequently  used  in  reference  to  the 
proper  performance  of  the  sacrifices.  Here  the  Asha  consists  in  what 
is  called  'good  thoughts,  good  words,  good  deeds — good  meaning  cere- 
monially good  or  correct,  without  a  false  pronunciation,  without  a 
mistake  in  -the  sacrifice.  But  there  are  passages  which  show  that 
Zoroaster  also  recognized  the  existence  of  a  kosmos  or  rita.  He  also 
tells  how  the  mornings  go,  and  the  noons,  and  the  nights,  and  how 
they  follow  that  which  has  been  traced  for  them ;  he  too  admires  the 
perfect  friendship  between  the  sun  and  the  moon  and  the  harmonies  of 
living  nature,  the  miracles  of  every  birth,  and  how  at  the  right  time 
there  is  food  for  the  mother  to  give  her  child. 

"  As  in  the  Veda,  so  in  the  Avesta,  the  universe  follows  the  Asha,  the 
worlds  are  the  creation  of  Asha.  The  faithful  while  on  earth  pray  for 
the  maintenance  of  Asha,  while  after  death  they  will  join  Ormuzd  in 
the  highest  heaven,  the  abode  of  Asha.  The  pious  worshipper  pro- 
tects the  Asha  ;  the  world  grows  and  prospers  by  Asha.  The  highest 
law  of  the  world  is  Asha,  and  the  highest  ideal  of  the  believer  is  to 
become  Ashavan,  possessed  of  Asha — i.  e.  righteousness." 

105 


106  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

of  the  universe  is  reflected  upon  and  consecrated  in  the 
mother  as  the  immediate  centre  of  the  home,  "  the  trans- 
mitter of  human  life,"  and  the  preserver  of  family  bonds. 

The  ancient  Fire-worshippers  are  commanded  in  their 
religious  books  to  watch  over  the  wpman_jin  the  home. 
It  is  a  religious  obligation.  In  the  first  male  child  centre 
the  past,  present,  and  future  glory  of  the  father.  Chil- 
dren have  always  been  the  desire,  "  the  crown  of  glory/' 
to  an  Oriental.  Thus  the  mother  became  in  the  Zend- 
Avesta  the  "  holy  mystic  one,"  through  whom  man  him- 
self was  born  again  as  a  son.  She  was  the  goddess  of 
abundance,  the  irradiator  of  his  hearth  and  home. 

While  the  procreative  and  nutritive  offices  of  woman 
called  forth  deep  religious  enthusiasm  and  veneration,  the 
peculiar  physical  difference  which  these  entailed  on  her 
appealed  to  a  dawning  sense  of  chivalric  generosity ;  and 
it  was  a  tender  regard  for  her  physical  liabilities  that  first 
led  to  the  institution  of  distinct  rules  for  her  life  at  times 
and  seasons  when  she  was  most  likely  to  be  overworked, 
oppressed,  or  unduly  taxed;  and  these  rules  time  has 
rendered  fixed  and  absolute  as  the  Medo-Persic  laws. 
But  all  through  this  rigidness  of  custom  are  seen  not  only 
a  tenderness  for  the  weakness  of  woman,  but  a  high  ap- 
preciation of  her  ideality  and  beauty. 

"A  wife  cannot  be  set  aside,  save  for  the  crime  of 
adultery  alone.  She  may  be  superseded  because  of  bar- 
renness, but  not  a  beloved  and  virtuous  wife.  It  is  better 
to  be  childless  here  and  hereafter  than  to  wound  or  grieve 
her  for  a  moment.  And  in  any  case  let  her  not  be  set 
aside  but  by  her  own  consent  and  free  will."  In  all  such 
cases  she  must  be  supported  and  cared  for  tenderly  until 
death.  It  was  an  unpardonable  offence  against  God  to 
leave  a  wife  destitute  and  without  support.  Unmarried 
daughters — a  very  rare  occurrence  among  the  Parsees — are 


PAESEE  WOMAN  AS  WIFE   AND   MOTHER.  107 

entitled  to  an  equal  share  of  the  mother's  estate.  A  wife 
is  not  responsible  for  the  debts  of  husband  or  son,  whereas 
they  are  held  strictly  responsible  for  hers,  and  the  son  is 
enjoined,  as  the  highest  duty  to  the  gods,  to  support  his 
mother  after  the  death  of  her  husband.  In  a  husband 
habitual  vices — such  as  profligacy,  intemperance,  cruelty — 
insanity,  and  impotence,  were  held  sufficient  excuse  for 
aversion.  She  was  neither  to  be  punished  nor  deprived 
of  her  property  in  any  such  case. 

A  father  is  strictly  forbidden  to  sell  his  daughter — i.  e. 
to  take  money  in  any  shape  whatever  when  giving  her  in 
marriage,  but  is  enjoined,  on  the  contrary,  to  furnish  her 
with  a  handsome  dowry. 

The  Parsee  woman  is  as  independent  in  her  home  and 
marriage  relations  as  the  European,  although  the  universal 
seclusion  of  high-born  Hindoo  and  Mohammedan  women 
has  not  been  without  its  influence  on  her  domestic  life. 
The  first  use  of  the  veil  among  the  Persian  women  was  as 
a  symbol  of  dignity  and  honor  rather  than  of  concealment 
from  motives  of  modesty.  In  the  early  days  of  the  Zo- 
roastrians  woman  was  held  not  so  much  as  an  equal,  but 
as  something  superior  in  the  home.  In  social  rights  and 
home-duties  the  husband  and  wife  shared  alike,  and  side 
by  side  they  ministered  to  the  holy  fires  on  their  house- 
hold hearths.  In  the  "  Prajapatya  "  form,  which,  though 
V&dic,  is  equally  binding  on  the  Fire-worshipper,  the  bride 
and  bridegroom  are  distinctly  enjoined  to  perform  together 
their  civil  and  religious  duties.  But  the  poetic  love  and 
reverence  which  surrounded  woman  in  the  early  days  of 
the  Aryans,  and  which  is  still  unsurpassed  in  all  their 
literature,  struck  deeper  than  laws  or  rules,  and  in  a  burst 
of  generous  and  spiritual  enthusiasm  "  all  men  were  com- 
manded to  bow  the  knee  in  filial  reverence  before  the 
mother  of  a  family,  declaring  a  mother  to  be  greater,  more 


108  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

blessed,  than  a  thousand  fathers."  Thus  we  see  how  much 
the  simple  fact  of  maternity  tended  to  elevate  woman  in 
the  home.  And  the  desire  to  foster  and  protect  her  led* 
these  early  worshippers  to  typify  womanly  purity  as  ever 
sacred,  and  as  ever  ready  to  comfort  and  cheer  the  heart 
of  man  as  is  the  carefully-watched  fire  that  burned  on 
their  altars. 

But,  alas !  the  rules  and  obligations  which  were  orig- 
inally intended  for  her  safety  and  happiness  are  now  forged 
into  iron  fetters  to  bind  her,  too  often  a  willing  slave,  to 
the  caprice  of  man,  and  have  been  used,  and  still  are  urged, 
against  her  higher  advancement  to  the  privileges  of  a  lib- 
eral education. 

Nevertheless,  there  are  among  the  Parsees  even  to-day  a 
few  old-fashioned  observances  which  might  be  introduced 
with  great  advantage  to  the  wife  and  mother  among  the 
laboring  and  even  richer  classes  of  European  nations. 
For  instance,  even  in  the  poorest  families  there  are  cer- 
tain dayj^  when  the  woman  is  considered  unfit  to  cook, 
wash,  bake,  sweep  the  floor,  or  light  the  house-lamp.  So 
strenuous  are  the  laws  against  her  working  at  these  times 
that  among  certain  persons  her  touch  is  held  to  pollute 
the  thing  or  person  that  comes  into  close  contact  with  her. 
She  is  forbidden  to  perform  even  the  lighter  offices  which 
may  fall  to  her  share  in  the  house.  She  separates  herself 
from  the  family  on  such  occasions.  If  she  is  too  poor  to 
keep  a  servant,  her  husband  is  enjoined  to  do  her  part  of 
the  housework  in  addition  to  his  own  outdoor  labor,  what- 
ever that  may  be.  The  same  rules  apply  to  all  female 
servants. 

During  pregnancy  woman  is  held  sacred  among  both 
Persians  and  Hindoos.  Their  laws  are  fixed  and  absolute 
on  all  points  relating  to  maternity,  whereas  in  European 
countries  women  are  often  treated  with  less  kindness  and 


PABSEE   LAWS   REGARDING  CHILDBIRTH.  109 

consideration  than  the  household  and  domestic  animals. 
Disregarded  by  man,  she  is  too  apt  to  neglect  and  over- 
work herself  at  such  times.  But  in  the  Parsee  code  of 
laws  maternity  and  childbirth  are  protected  by  deep  re- 
ligious obligations.  "All  harsh  words,  anger,  sorrow, 
anything  that  will  occasion  pain  of  mind  and  body,  are  to 
be  kept  away  fr^m  the  woman  with  child."  "  She  is  for- 
bidden all  strong  drink,  all  unhealthy  intercourse  with 
neighbors  and  friends ;  she  cannot  travel  from  home  or 
from  place  to  place,  or  look  upon  unsightly  objects,  or 
listen  to  any  but  pleasant  and  familiar  sounds."  In  fact, 
woman  at  such  times  is  to  be  guarded  with  an  especial  re- 
ligious care,  "  as  the  household  priestess  or  divinity,  who 
is  on  the  eve  of  unveiling  the  future  greatness  and  glory 
of  the  family  by  the  gift  of  a  male  child." 

Another  and  a  very  old  superstition  among  the  early  Ar- 
yans and  Parsees,  if  we  may  call  these  tender  observances 
by  such  a  name,  is  that  the  living,  thinking,  intelligent 
soul  (which  is  held  to  be  distinct  from  the  life)  of  the 
child  takes  up  its  habitation  in  the  heart  and  pulse  of  the 
unborn  babe  forty-nine  days,  or  seven  times  seven  sunrises 
and  sunsets,  before  its  advent  into  the  world.  This  curi- 
ous belief  makes  them  regard  the  mother  at  such  times  as 
overshadowed  by  the  presence  of  a  divine  being.  Hence, 
before  the  "  holy  breath  "  has  animated  the  unborn  babe 
the  mother  is  conveyed  with  religious  care  to  the  ground- 
floor  of  the  house.  There  are  both  spiritual  and  physical 
reasons  for  this  step :  that  she  may  not  be  disturbed  by 
the  ordinary  household  cares  and  jars;  that  the  child 
should  enter  into  the  world  on  the  solid  breast  of  the  great 
mother  of  all,  the  earth ;  and  that  she  may  not  undergo 
the  fatigue  of  climbing  stairs,  which  Oriental  women  very 
much  dislike.  Here  she  remains  fifty  days,  and  some- 
times even  more,  before,  and  forty  days  after,  the  birth  of 


110  LIFE  AND  TEAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

her  child,  tenderly  cared  for  by  every  member  of  the 
family,  for  to  neglect  her  at  such  a  time  is  to  forfeit  the 
blessings  of  the  seven  high  angels  who  are  about  the 
throne  of  Ahura-Mazda. 

In  the  centre  of  her  chamber  there  is  an  enclosed  spot, 
sometimes  provided  with  a  cot,  and  all  around  it  is  a  low 
wall  or  a  light  fence  to  guard  off  all  irreverent  approach. 
At  the  time  of  delivery  her  women  place  her  in  this  sacred 
spot,  and  here,  in  the  heart  and  centre  of  the  Fire-wor- 
shipper's home,  the  newborn  child  is  ushered  into  the 
world. 

Among  the  Hindoos,  and  even  among  the  more  unedu- 
cated of  the  Parsees,  these  observances  have  lost  their 
original  signification,  and  have  dwindled  down  not  only 
to  a  mere  ritual  ceremony,  but  are  corrupted  into  a  gross 
superstition.  The  poor  mother  is  now  looked  upon  as  being 
impure,*  and  her  seclusion  from  the  rest  of  the  family 
necessary  to  preserve  the  entire  household  from  the  much- 
dreaded  pollution  of  childbirth;  therefore  none  of  the 
members  of  the  household  will  approach  or  touch  the 
mother — not  from  a  fear  of  harming  her,  but  rather  of 
pollution  to  themselves — until  forty  days  after  her  con- 
finement and  after  she  has  undergone  a  series  of  purifica- 
tions and  performed  a  great  many  sacramental  rites. 

The  whole  course  of  the  future  life  is  carefully  traced 
out  for  every  child  that  is  born  unto  the  world.  First  of 

*  It  is  now  very  difficult  to  ascertain  at  what  period  the  "  dual  prin- 
ciple "  of  good  and  evil  formulated  by  Zoroaster  was  first  applied  to  the 
sexes.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  in  course  of  time  the  masculine  energy 
came  to  be  regarded  as  good  and  holy,  and  the  feminine  as  evil  and  un- 
holy ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  from  that  time  the  original  idea  of  the 
mother  as  the  household  priestess  or  divinity  underwent  a  slow  but  radi- 
cal change ;  and  at  length  the  fall  of  woman  from  the  lofty  place  assigned 
to  her  in  the  early  Vedic  and  Zoroastrian  religions  became  an  accom- 
plished fact. 


THE  INFANT'S  HOROSCOPE  DETERMINED.        Ill 

all,  at  the  moment  of  birth  it  is  the  duty  of  the  nurse  and 
midwife  to  carefully  observe  the  time,  the  hour,  the  signs, 
and  marks,  and  any  and  every  unusual  occurrence  which 
may  happen  at  the  moment  of  delivery,  particularly  the 
aspect  of  the  heavens  at  the  time  of  day ;  if  at  night,  the 
appearance  of  the  moon  and  stars,  and  all  such  phenom. 
ena.  All  these  and  the  exact  moment  of  the  infant's  birth 
are  noted  down.  The  newborn  child  is  also  carefully  ex- 
amined as  to  its  physical  conditions,  and  these  also  are* 
commented  upon  and  set  down  for  the  use  of  the  astrol- 
oger. The  mother  too  has  especial  attention  bestowed 
upon  her ;  incense  is  kept  burning  at  her  bedside ;  she  is 
fumigated  twice  a  day  by  means  of  a  censer  in  which 
odoriferous  gums  are  burnt;  tapers  are  lit  and  sent  as 
offerings  to  the  Fire-temples,  with  wine,  fruit,  flowers, 
sweet  oils,  and  frankincense  and  myrrh. 

On  the  seventh  day  after  the  birth  of  the  child  an 
astrologer  and  priest  are  invited  to  determine  the  horo- 
scope of  the  newborn  infant.  The  former,  having  ascer- 
tained the  moment  of  birth  and  all  other  notable  things 
with  regard  to  mother  and  child,  begins  by  drawing  on  a 
wooden  board  a  set  of  hieroglyphics  in  chalk  as  curious 
as  they  are  complicated,  and  his  dexterity  in  counting  and 
recounting  the  stars  under  whose  influence  the  child  is 
supposed  to  be  born  is  marvellous;  after  which  all  the 
assembled  relatives  press  forward,  especially  the  father, 
eager  and  trembling  to  hear  the  astrologer  predict  in  a 
solemn  voice  the  future  life  and  prospects  of  the  newborn 
babe. 

According  to  these  curious  speculations,  if  the  child  is 
born  at  the  point  of  Cancer  he  will  be  a  great  man ;  if  at 
the  point  of  Capricorn,  he  wrill  be  a  great  priest  and  re- 
former. Under  the  influence  of  the  planet  Saturn  he  will 
be  distinguished  for  intelligence  (though  some  priests  hold 


112  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

the  influence  of  Saturn  to  be  dark  and  sinister  over  hu- 
man life);  if  under  Jupiter,  for  power  and  physical 
strength.  If  he  happens  to  be  born  at  the  moment  of  the 
arrival  of  the  sun  at  the  summer  solstice,  the  child  is 
looked  upon  as  the  favorite  of  Heaven,  and  every  good 
fbrtune  is  predicted  as  the  result.  Should  the  planet  Mars 
preside  at  the  time  of  birth,  they  foretell  great  trouble 
and  sorrow ;  if  Mercury,  poverty  and  early  death ;  under 
Venus,  contentment  and  peace;  and  under  the  moon,  a 
numerous  progeny.  The  astrologer  then  enumerates  the 
names  which  are  the  most  appropriate  for  the  child  to 
bear,  so  as  to  mark  his  or  her  astral  relations ;  the  parents 
make  a  choice  of  one  of  them.  The  Fire-priest  then 
takes  the  babe  and  places  it  on  his  knees,  waves  a  lamp 
lighted  from  the  sacred  fire  over  it,  calls  aloud  its  name, 
and  implores  Ahura-Mazda  to  fulfil  all  the  good  and  avert 
all  the  evil  predicted  by  the  stars  of  heaven  at  the  hour 
of  its  birth. 

After  the  expiration  of  the  forty  days,  and  having  un- 
dergone seven  purifications  by  fire  and  smoke  and  various 
incense  fumigations,  the  mother  returns  to  the  family  cir- 
cle as  before,  but  is  exempted  from  much  arduous  work 
while  nursing  her  infant. 

I  was  fortunate  enough  to  be  present  one  evening  at  the 
house  of  Shet  Dorabjee,  a  Parsee  merchant  of  Bombay, 
when  one  of  their  most  beautiful  services  was  held.  It 
was  the  simple  act  of  lighting  their  evening  lamp,  which 
in  every  Parsee  household  is  one  of  the  most  sacred 
duties.  This  lamp  is  poetically  called  "the  dispeller  of 
darkness."  It  is  always  lighted  in  the  evening,  but  goes 
out  at  dawn.  Besides  this,  an  earthen  and  ever-burning 
lamp  is  preserved  in  almost  all  Parsee  homes. 

On  the  occasion  when  I  happened  to  be  present  at  the 
house  of  Shet  Dorabjee  the  front  door  was  gently  closed 


CONSECRATION  INTO  ZOEOASTEIANISM.  113 

at  twilight.  The  family,  of  whom  there  were  no  less, 
than  forty-five  persons,  assembled  around  this  "hearth- 
lamp."  My  charming  hostess  and  friend,  the  lady  Shet 
Dorabjee,  repaired  to  the  secret  chamber,  kindled  her 
torch  at  the  perpetual  fire,  mingled  its  flame  with  her 
breath  by  lightly  blowing  on  it,  returned,  and  lighted  the 
hearth-lamp.  Then  the  family  all  stood  up — father, 
mother,  sisters,  brothers,  children,  and  grandchildren — no 
stranger  being  allowed  to  join  the  circle.  I  stood  aside 
and  quietly  watched  the  scene.  With  their  arms  crossed 
upon  their  breasts  while  the  mother  was  lighting  the 
evening  lamp,  they  repeated  this  prayer  (of  which  I  eb- 
tained  the  translation):  "O  Ahura-Mazda,  thou  who 
dwellest  where  the  sun  never  shines,  where  the  lightnings 
flash  not,  from  that  world,  thy  secret  hiding-place,  kindle 
our  hearts  to  worship  the  pure  Lord  of  Purity ;"  to  which 
the  whole  family  responded,  "  So  be  it,  O  Divine  Illumi- 
nator." 

Consecration  into  the  Zoroastrian  religion  takes  place 
in  the  seventh  year  of  a  child's  life.  First  comes  the 
strange  purification  by  washing  the  child's  body  and  face 
with  the  urine  of  the  cow.  This  curious  and  disgusting 
custom  is  said  to  be  handed  down  from  the  most  ancient 
times,  when  this  liquid  was  regarded  as  a  very  effective 
remedy  against  any  disorder  of  the  bodily  organs.  This 
done,  a  prayer  is  repeated,  and  the  body  is  bathed  again 
in  pure  water.  There  is  a  second  and  a  third  process, 
each  called  purification ;  the  second  consists  of  standing 
face  to  face  with  the  fire,  and  praying  to  the  Light  with- 
out beginning  or  end ;  the  third  in  repeating,  with  arms 
crossed,  the  Zoroastrian  creed  and  acknowledging  the 
truth  of  the  Zoroastrian  religion. 

The  child  is  then  seated  before  the  high  priest,  who 
puts  on  him  a  linen  garment  of  nine  seams  and  a  woollen 

8 


114  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

girdle  of  seventy-two  threads.  These  are  the  exact  num- 
ber of  the  sacred  books  of  the  Fire-worshippers.  These 
two  are  called  the  "  garments  of  the  pure  and  faithful," 
and  the  whole  ceremony  is  concluded  with  a  benediction 
of  fire  and  prayer,  the  former  being  waved  round  and 
round  over  the  child,  and  the  latter  being  chanted. 

The  last  and  peculiar  initiation  takes  place  when  the 
youth^haJ'attained  his  fourteenth  year.  He  stands  clad 
in  pure  white  among  the  priests  and  his  assembled  rela- 
tives and  friends  in  the  Fire-temple.  Here  he  repeats 
his  vows;  the  priests  warn  him  of  certain  temptations 
that  will  beset  his  youth  and  manhood,  and  the  shame 
and  suffering  that  will  follow  him  through  life  if  he 
should  prove  unfaithful  to  the  higher  instincts  of  his 
nature.  They  then  invite  him  to  drink  the  "  homa  "  or 
"soma"  juice,  and  to  join  them  in  practising  purity  in 
thought,  word,  and  deed. 

The^onia/'  or  moon-plant,  is  a  round  smooth  twin- 
ing plant  peculiar  to  the  Aravalli  Hills ;  it  is  also  found 
in  the  deserts  north  of  Delhi  and  in  the  mountain-passes 
of  the  Bolan,  and  it  is  imported  into  Bombay.  It  possesses 
not  only  medicinal,  but,  when  allowed  to  ferment,  slightly 
intoxicating,  properties.  It  is  the  privilege  of  the  Fire- 
priests  and  the  most  devout  of  the  congregation  to  par- 
take once  a  month,  at  the  time  of  the  new  moon,  of  this 
intoxicating  juice.  Those  who  are  about  to  partake  of  it 
generally  abstain  from  food  from  sunrise  till  noon,  which 
is  the  hour  for  celebrating  this  ceremony. 

A  day  or  two  before  the  appearance  of  the  new  moon 
the  stalks  of  this  plant  are  bruised  with  the  tender  shoots 
of  the  acacia  and  with  pomegranates,  extracting  thereby 
an  acrid  greenish  juice.  This  is  put  in  a  strainer  of  goat's 
hair,  after  which  it  must  be  pressed  through  by  the  priest's 
fingers ;  this  juice,  mixed  with  barley  and  clarified  butter, 


THE  WORSHIP  OF  THE  SUN.  115 

is  allowed  to  ferment,  when  it  forms  the  "soma  wine." 
On  the  first  morning  after  the  new  moon  is  seen  in  the 
heavens  the  Fire-priests  repair  to  their  temple,  where, 
after  certain  prayers  and  chants,  the  soma-juice  is  drawn 
off  in  a  vessel ;  a  portion  is  thrown  into  a  sacred  well  as 
a  libation  to  the  earth,  a  ladleful  is  drank  by  the  priests, 
and  the  residue  is  handed  round  to  the  people  who  are 
present.  The  priests  then  join  hands  and  wait  for  the 
stimulating  properties  to  reach  the  brain,  whereupon  they 
wheel  round  chanting  a  hymn  full  of  mystical  meaning. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  us,  the  exhilarating  property 
of  this  drink  is  supposed  to  shadow  forth  the  presence  of 
divine  life  in  the  soul,  and  this  life  of  thought  and  emo- 
tion is  often  poetically  called  "wine" — "the  wine  that 
fills  creation's  cup."  * 

The  Parsees  in  worshipping  the  sun  turn  their  faces  to 
the  rising  luminary,  and,  holding  before  them  branches 
of  certain  trees,  chant  aloud.  In  our  early-morning  rides 
on  Malabar  Hill,  as  the  sun  made  his  first  appearance 
above  the  horizon,  the  white-robed  priests  of  Iran  were 
always  before  us,  crowding  the  summit  of  the  hill ;  they 
could  be  seen  with  their  faces  turned  eastward,  with 
branches  of  acacia  raised  aloft  in  their  hands,  singing 
their  morning  hymn  to  the  god  of  day.f 

We  knew  personally  several  of  the  Fire-priests  of 
Bombay.  They  seemed  less  intelligent  than  the  ordinary 
Parsees,  and  some  of  them  went  through  their  religious 
duties  mechanically  and  without  any  of  that  religious  fer- 
vor that  I  had  noticed  in  the  Brahmans ;  but  I  have  seen 
others  who  were  both  intelligent  and  extremely  devout. 

*  Omar  Khy&m,  astronomer-poet  of  Persia, 

t  The  earliest  mention  of  this  practice  is  found  in  the  eighth  chapter 
and  sixteenth  verse  of  Ezekiel,  where  that  prophet  complains  that  the 
Jews  turn  their  backs  upon  the  temple  to  worship  the  sun. 


116  LIFE  AND  TKAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

Among  the  Fire-worshippers  the  marriage  of  one's  chil- 
dren is  the  first  and  earliest  consideration.  Marriage  is 
held  a  high  sacred  and  religious  obligation,  and  mothers 
often  pledge  their  children  in  marriage  before  they  are 
born,  and  if  their  children  prove  of  the  right  sex  their 
pledge  is  held  sacred.  In  most  cases,  however,  the  priests 
are  the  go-betweens  or  the  matchmakers.  This  is  held  as 
one  of  the  most  important  of  the  ministerial  duties  that 
fall  to  the  care  of  a  Fire-priest.  As  soon  as  a  Parsee 
sees  what  he  and  his  wife  consider  an  eligible  mate  for  his 
son  or  daughter,  direct  negotiations  are  opened  with  the 
parents  by  means  of  the  Fire-priest,  who  calls  on  the  par- 
ties, and  after  some  few  preliminary  questions  with  regard 
to  the  temper  and  disposition  of  the  proposed  mother-in- 
law  on  the  part  of  the  relatives  of  the  young  maiden,  the 
Fire-priest  (who  cannot  proceed  until  he  has  examined 
the  respective  horoscopes)  demands  the  birth-paper  of  the 
little  maiden  in  question,  who,  perhaps  all  unconscious  of 
what  is  going  on,  may  be  frequently  seen  hiding  behind 
her  mother  and  peering  timidly  at  the  white-robed  Fire- 
priest  who  is  about  to  decide  one  of  the  most  important 
events  of  her  future  life. 

Everything  depends  on  the  positions  of  their  respective 
stars.  The  stars  once  declared  favorable,  however,  mat- 
ters proceed  rapidly  and  the  betrothal  takes  place.  This 
consists  of  an  exchange  of  dresses  from  the  parents  of  the 
young  couple ;  but  so  rigid  are  their  rules  that  the  accept- 
ance of  this  simple  gift  is  held  by  each  of  the  parents  as 
the  sign  of  an  indissoluble  bond  between  the  children. 

Even  the  day  for  the  celebration  of  the  marriage  (after 
the  children  have  arrived  at  the  respective  ages  of  eighteen 
for  the  boy  and  fifteen  to  sixteen  for  the  maiden)  is  selected 
by  the  Fire-priests.  Indeed,  there  are  only  a  few  days  in 
the  year  held  propitious  for  marriage  by  both  the  Hin- 


CEREMONY  OF.  A  PARSEE   WEDDING.  117 

doo  and  Parsee.  So  many  marriages  take  place  on  these 
favored  days  that  to  a  stranger  it  would  appear  as  if  the 
entire  native  population  was  being  married  off. 

We  were  invited  to  the  celebration  of  the  marriage  of 
Munchejee  Sorabjee's  daughter,  a  very  beautiful  girl  and 
a  great  heiress  in  her  own  right,  her  late  uncle  having  left 
her  a  very  large  fortune.  We  arrived  early,  so  as  to  wit- 
ness the  whole  ceremony  from  beginning  to  end. 

It  was  a  lovely  place  near  Mazagaum.  The  house  was 
approached  through  grand  old  groves ;  there  were  rustic 
seats  here  and  there,  and  inviting  grassy  slopes  whence 
one  could  catch  glimpses  of  the  distant  sea.  We  were 
shown  into  a  spacious  hall,  where  we  took  our  places, 
with  several  other  European  guests,  on  divans  arranged 
along  the  walls. 

Just  before  sunset  the  bridegroom's  party  arrived  in 
full  dress  of  pure  white,  all  save  the  turban,  which  was  of 
a  dark  chocolate  color,  ornamented  with  precious  stones. 
Each  of  the  gentlemen  attached  to  the  bridegroom's  party 
had  garlands  of  white  flowers  around  his  neck.  Behind 
these  came  a  long  row  of  Fire-priests  in  flowing  white 
linen  robes,  white  turbans,  and  long  white  silk  scarfs. 

The  nuptial  ceremony  must  always  be  held  on  the 
ground-floor,  and  after  all  the  guests,  some  three  or  four 
hundred  Parsees,  had  taken  their  places  round  the  hall, 
there  was  heard  a  gentle  buzz  of  expectation.  All  eyes 
turned  involuntarily  to  the  great  lofty  door  at  the  west- 
ern extremity  of  the  room.  It  opened,  and  for  a  moment 
the  young  bride  stood  still,  hesitating  at  the  threshold 
of  the  unknown  future  before  her.  Presently  both  bride 
and  bridegroom  entered.  I  never  saw  a  more  graceful 
or  more  beautiful  creature  than  this  young  Parsee  bride. 
Her  dress  was  exquisitely  simple — white  satin  trousers 
fastened  at  the  ankle,  above  a  pale  blue  silk  bodice  cov- 


118  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL.  IN   INDIA. 

ered  with  some  sort  of  rich  white  embroidery,  and  over  it 
all,  wound  round  her  whole  person,  half  veiling  her  face, 
was  a  semi-transparent  flowing  scarf,  every  curve  and 
twist  of  which  was  arranged  with  the  most  artistic  effect. 
They  walked  in  .side  by  side.  A  murmur  of  delight  ran 
through  the  audience  at  the  delicate  downcast  face,  'the 
grace,  and  the  beauty  of  the  half-veiled  maiden  figure 
before  us.  When  the  couple  reached  the  centre  of  the 
hall  they  bowed  down  and  performed  a  sort  of  mystic 
prostration  to  Mother  Earth  in  the  presence  of  the  Fire- 
priests.  They  then  stood  up,  joined  hands,  and  waited 
for  the  auspicious  moment.  All  eyes  were  turned  upon 
the  youthful  pair ;  every  one  was  almost  breathless  with 
tender  expectation,  save  the  Fire-priests,  who  watched  the 
sunlight  fading  out  of  the  sky.  With  the  vanishing  of 
the  last  shimmering  gleam  of  light  the  ceremony  began. 
Torches  and  lamps  were  kindled  with  fire  from  their  tem- 
ple by  the  Fire-priests,  who  approached  the  young  couple, 
and,  waving  round  them  the  sacred  light,  sprinkled  them 
with  consecrated  water;  then  taking  an  immense  "purda," 
or  veil,  placed  it  over  one  of  their  number  and  over  the 
bride  and  groom,  who  were  shrouded  beneath  its  folds  for 
some  minutes;  meanwhile  other  priests  chanted  the  fol- 
lowing hymn :  "  O  man,  in  the  name  of  the  great  Ahura- 
Mazda,  be  ever  pure  and  faithful,  and  bright  in  good 
actions  as  the  immortal  Light.  Be  ever  worthy  of  all 
praise  and  honor  in  the  heart  of  this  woman,  now  thy 
wife.  May  the  spirits  of  fire,  sun,  and  water  give  thee 
wisdom !  May  the  peaceful  earth,  whose  fragrance  is  ex- 
cellent, whose  breasts  contain  the  heavenly  drink,  fill  thee 
with  the  purity  of  the  Pure  and  the  benevolence  of  the 
great  Yohoo  mano  (beneficent  spirit)  toward  this  woman 
thy  wife!" 

Then  the  chant  is  addressed  to  the  bride :  "  O  woman 


THE   CHARGE  TO  THE   BEIDE.  119 

of  mysterious  body,  be  thou  immortal  like  Kosru  (one  of 
the  fixed  stars).  Be  full  of  understanding  for  thyself, 
thy  husband,  and  the  fruit  of  thy  body,  as  a  capacious 
vessel  full  of  love,  fervid  as  the  sun  by  day,  tender  and 
pure  as  the  moon  by  night;  heavy  laden  as  the  cow 
(clouds)  with  moisture  "  (meaning  heavy  laden  with  kind- 
ness, as  the  clouds  with  moisture).  "  Be  serene,  be  wise, 
be  steady  as  the  fixed  stars.  May  Ahura-Mazda  give  you 
fire  for  brightness  and  purity,  the  sun  for  exalted  rule ! 
May  the  shadowless  night  give  you  the  moon  for  increase 
and  the  sky  for  life  everlasting!" 

The  instant  the  chanting — which  was  drawled  out  in 
monotone  by  the  assembly  of  the  Fire-priests — ceased  the 
great  white  veil  was  withdrawn,  and  the  young  couple 
were  man  and  wife. 

The  bride  then,  blushing  scarlet  and  looking  if  possible 
still  more  lovely  than  before,  received  the  eager  and  hearty 
congratulations  of  her  friends  and  relatives,  who  pressed 
around  her  and  embraced  her.  Her  mother  and  aunts 
wept  with  joy  and  poured  tender  benedictions  on  her 
young  head.  It  was  a  trying  ordeal  for  the  poor  girl.  I 
noted  every  shade  of  feeling  that  passed  over  her  face. 
She  wore  a  look  of  constraint,  every  now  and  then  blush- 
ing crimson ;  she  bit  her  lips  in  order  to  keep  herself  from 
giving  way  to  her  own  conflicting  emotions. 

After  this  came  the  bridegroom's  turn  to  salute  and  be 
saluted  by  his  own  and  his  wife's  relatives.  A  knot  of 
gay  young  Parsee  gentlemen  surrounded  him  with  wel- 
come sounds  of  greeting  and  laughter  when  the  next  im- 
portant part  of  the  ceremony  began.  A  young  Parsee  lad, 
magnificently  dressed,  appeared,  bringing  in  a  large  bowl 
of  milk,  and  a  charmingly  dressed  young  maiden  ad- 
vanced, the  younger  sister  of  the  bride,  with  a  chook,  or 
vest,  belonging  to  the  newly-made  wife. 


120  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

That  "  there  is  only  one  step  from  the  sublime  to  the 
ridiculous  "  is  only  too  true,  for  this  rare  and  unique  cere- 
mony was  absolutely  concluded  by  the  Fire-priests  wash- 
ing the  toes  of  the  bridegroom  in  the  milk,  and  then  they 
rubbed  his  face  all  over  with  the  cast-off  garment  of  his 
wife.  As  far  as  I  could  understand,  the  one  was  a  sign 
of  the  great  future  happiness  in  store  for  the  husband, 
and  the  other  that  he  was  no  longer  his  own  master,  but 
henceforth  under  petticoat  government.  It  is  but  just  to 
add  that  most  of  the  Parsee  gentlemen  present  seemed  to 
have  outgrown  this  ridiculous  custom,  but  the  ladies 
smirked  and  giggled  and  seemed  to  enjoy  it  immensely. 

After  this  came  the  end.  The  happy  but  confused- 
looking  young  couple  retired  (dripping  with  rose  and  jes- 
samine waters  showered  over  them)  to  their  new  abode, 
which  in  most  cases  is  in  the  paternal  home  of  the  hus- 
band. 

The  Parsees  have  but  few  festivals ;  the  birthday  of 
Zoroaster  and  their  New  Year's  Day  are  the  most  import- 
ant. The  former  is  held  in  the  month  of  October,  and 
it  is  a  sight  worth  seeing.  The  men,  women,  and  children, 
magnificently  dressed  in  gold-wrought  silks  and  flashing 
jewels,  crowd  the  Fire-temples  with  offerings  of  fruit  and 
flowers.  Long  processions  of  priests  robed  in  pure  white 
take  turns  in  officiating,  and  chant  after  chant  ascends 
from  the  temples  to  the  shining  Ahura-Mazda,  accom- 
panied with  invocations  to  the  spirits  of  the  righteous 
dead,  and  to  the  seven  high  angels  around  the  throne. 
The  beautiful  half-veiled  women,  the  lovely  children,  the 
noble-looking  fathers  of  families  with  their  numberless 
sons  standing  at  their  right  hand,  and  the  priests  mag- 
nifying and  feeding  the  sacred  flame  from  sunrise  to  sun- 
set, form  a  sight  as  inspiring  as  it  is  novel. 

Their  Noow  Rooz,  or  New  Year's  Day,  is  observed  very 


PARSEE  LADY  AND  CHILD. 


THE  PARSEE  WOMEN   GOOD-LOOKING.  121 

much  as  we  do  ours.  The  poor  and  destitute  of  all  castes 
and  creeds  have  alms,  food,  and  clothes  distributed  to 
them  by  the  rich  and  great,  poor  relations  receive  pres- 
ents, and  among  friends  kindly  visits  and  gifts  are  ex- 
changed. 

The i  costiune  of  this  peculiar  people  is  exceedingly 
simple,  and  said  to  be  made  obligatory  on  them  by  the 
rajah  of  Saian  on  their  first  landing  on  Indian  soil.  That 
of  the  man  consists  of  a  long  seamless  muslin  or  silk  shirt 
or  tunic  reaching  to  the  knees,  a  woollen  girdle  with  tassels, 
and  a  pair  of  silk  trousers ;  when  going  out  he  puts  on  a 
sort  of  tunic,  with  a  short  silk  vest  over  it ;  the  modern 
Parsee  gentlemen  has  also  adopted  shoes  and  stockings. 
The  cap  or  turban  by  which  a  Parsee  is  distinguished  is 
bound  round  a  frame  in  the  form  of  a  little  round  tower, 
slightly  higher  on  the  right  side.  The  stuff  of  which  it 
is  constructed  is  a  peculiar  manufacture  made  at  Surat  ex- 
pressly for  the  Parsee  turban.  It  is  a  sort  of  stiff  paper- 
muslin,  figured,  and  generally  of  a  dark-red  or  chocolate 
color,  bound  round  the  frame  smoothly,  till  it  is  made  to 
assume  this  one  particular  form  of  a  conical  tower  (typical 
of  their  earliest  Fire-temple),  around  which  emeralds  and 
rubies  are  arranged  on  great  festal  occasions. 

The  Parsee  women  that  I  met  and  visited  in  Bombay 
were,  on  the  whole,  remarkably  good-looking  as  girls; 
before  they  conceal  their  fine  curly  hair  they  are  really 
beautiful,  and  the  children  among  the  loveliest  and  hap- 
piest to  be  found  in  the  East. 

The  women  are  fair-complexioned,  with  a  delicate  bru- 
nette tinge,  with  large  eyes  and  regular  features,  often  ex- 
quisitely formed,  owing  to  their  dress  being  freed  from 
anything  like  pressure  on  the  body ;  but  they  rob  them- 
selves of  a  part  of  their  beauty  by  the  custom  of  conceal- 
ing their  beautiful  hair  under  white  linen  bands  bound 


122  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

around  the  brow.  They  wear  very  wide  silk  trousers, 
gathered  and  fastened  at  the  ankles,  over  this  a  silk  tunic, 
often  descending  in  graceful  folds  to  the  feet  and  bound 
at  the  waist,  while  a  deep,  wide  scarf  of  silk  or  some  other 
light  texture  gracefully  drapes  the  whole  person  and  serves 
at  once  the  double  purpose  of  a  head-dress  and  a  veil. 

They  occupy  in  their  homes  a  much  more  honorable  po- 
sition than  either  the  Hindoo  or  Moslem  women.  They 
enjoy  almost  as  much  freedom  as  European  women.  I 
used  to  meet  them  in  the  streets  and  bazaars,  driving  in 
their  open  carriages,  surrounded  by  their  bright,  happy- 
looking  children. 

So  careful  are  the  Parsees  of  their  national  honor  that 
in  the  whole  island  of  Bombay  there  exists  neither  pau- 
pers nor  prostitutes  among  the  followers  of  this  religion. 
Polygamy  is  unknown  among  them.  A  wife  can  only  be 
put  away  for  immoral  conduct.  She  is  tried  by  the  Pun- 
chayet  or  Parsee  court,  and  if  found  guilty  repudiated 
amid  the  whole  assembly ;  formerly  she  was  put  to  death. 

The  ceremonies  attending  the  death  of  a  Parsee  are 
very  singular.  When  a  person  is  about  to  die  he  is  con- 
veyed to  the  ground-floor,  washed  in  consecrated  water, 
and  his  face  anointed  with  holy  oil.  A  lamp  or  lamps 
lighted  from  the  sacred  fire  in  the  temple  are  placed  by 
the  dying  man's  bed,  and  priests  stand  before  him  with 
folded  arms  crossed  on  their  breasts,  and  pray  for  him  in 
a  most  earnest  and  beautiful  chant.  When  life  becomes 
quite  extinct  the  body  is  clothed  in  a  new  white  cotton 
shirt  of  nine  seams  and  a  sort  of  apron,  which  is  thrown 
over  the  face.  This  is  bound  by  a  new  and  sacred  girdle 
of  seventy-two  threads.  The  body  is  then  placed  on  an 
oblong  stone  on  the  floor. 

But  the  most  curious  part  of  all  is,  that  along  with  the 
Fire-priests  the  house-dog  is  brought  in,  and  after  they 


CEKEMONTES  ON  THE  DEATH  OF   A  PARSEE.       123 

have  offered  up  prayer  and  praise  in  the  presence  of  the 
assembled  family,  the  dog  is  taken  up  to  the  dead  body 
of  his  friend  and  master  and  exhorted  to  conduct  him 
safely  into  paradise.  If  the  dog  should  lick  affection- 
ately, as  heretofore,  the  face,  or  even  hands  or  feet,  of  his 
dead  friend,  it  is  held  as  a  most  auspicious  sign  of  the 
dead  man's  ready  admittance  into  heaven.  It  is  but  just 
to  add  here  that  the  more  refined  and  intelligent  Parsees 
have  outgrown  this  absurd  custom  and  superstition ;  but 
the  more  ignorant  certainly  believe  that  every  dog  has  an 
angel  spirit  residing  in  some  star,  whence  it  issues  forth  to 
convey  the  souls  of  the  good  safely  into  heaven.* 

When  the  time  for  the  removal  of  the  body  approaches, 
lamps  lighted  from  the  sacred  fires  burn  around  the  corpse. 
The  priests  stand  face  to  face  with  the  dead,  singing  praises 
to  the  immortal  Light;  finally,  their  last  prayer  or  exhor- 
tation to  the  dead  soul  is  chanted.  This  done,  the  body, 
covered  with  white  garments,  the  hands  crossed  on  the 
breast,  is  laid  on  a  long  open  bier.  A  number  of  priests 
robed  in  pure  white  carry  the  bier  to  the  dohkma  or  tower 
of  silence,  and  there  the  long  procession  of  friends  and 
relatives  stand  in  a  circle  praying  with  arms  folded,  heads 
bowed,  and  lips  moving  silently,  while  the  Fire-priests 
place  the  dead  body  on  a  long  slide  and  slip  it  on  the  iron 
gratings  of  this  strange  circular  tomb,  to  be  devoured  by 
birds  of  prey. 

On  the  third  day  they  pray  again  in  the  Fire-temple 
that  the  soul  of  the  dead  may  ascend  to  heaven,  for,  ac- 
cording to  their  sacred  books,  on  the  third  day  "he  reaches 
Mithra  (Sun-god),  rising  above  the  mountains  resplendent 
in  his  own  spotless  purity ;"  then  he  comes  to  the  bridge 
of  the  "Gatherer"  where  he  is  asked  as  to  the  conduct  of 

*  The  dog  is  also  brought  in  to  be  looked  at  by  the  dying  man  when 
at  his  last  gasp. 


124  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

> 

his  soul  while  living  in  the  world.  If  he  is  pure,  a  beau- 
tiful, tall,  swift  spirit,  called  Serosh,  comes  thither  with  a 
dog,  a  nine-knotted  hook,  and  the  twigs  of  the  "Barsom;" 
these  things  are  considered  efficacious  for  keeping  off  evil 
spirits  and  guiding  him  over  the  heavenly  bridge  (Chin- 
vat).  Here  a  most  exquisite  form  meets  him,  lovely  and 
smiling,  and  when  he  questions  the  beautiful  maiden,  "  Who 
art  thou  shining  so  brightly  on  the  wide  shore  ?"  she  re- 
plies, "  I  am  all  thy  good  works,  pure  thoughts,  and  pure 
words,  O  man."  She  then  takes  his  hand,  leads  him  smil- 
ing and  joyous  to  the  archangel  Yohoo  mano,  who  rises 
from  his  golden  throne  and  speaks  thus  to  the  soul:  "How 
happy  it  is  that  you  have  come  here  to  us  from  mortality 
to  immortality  !"  Then  the  soul  goes  joyfully  to  Ahura- 
Mazda,  and  resides  for  ever  with  the  immortal  saints,  prais- 
ing the  unbegotten,  self-created  Light. 

Though  the  Fire- worshippers  believe  in  the  resurrection, 
they  do  not  hold  that  it  is  to  be  made  in  the  same  body ; 
their  reverence  therefore  follows  the  soul,  and  not  the  body 
deserted  by  its  spiritual  tenant,  while  their  reverence  for 
the  earth,  water,  and  fire  is  so  profound  that  they  hold 
burial,  cremation,  or  even  casting  the  ashes  into  the  waters, 
a  sacrilege  against  the  elements.  The  original  idea  in  ex- 
posing the  body  to  the  weather  was  Brahmanic — that  of 
absorption  by  the  elements.  The  dead  body  was  restored 
to  the  sun,  air,  and  sky,  to  be  reunited  and  launched  on 
the  bosom  of  that  "vast  Illimitable"  whence  it  had  sprung. 

The  Parsees  also  hold  all  birds  sacred,  as  a  sort  of  spirit- 
ual agent  of  universal  purification,  through  whose  agency 
all  gross,  unclean  substances  pass  into  healthy  conditions. 
For  these  reasons  the  towers  of  silence  which  receive  the 
dead  spoil  are  open  to  the  sky,  and  by  means  of  the  bird 
of  prey  it  re-enters  almost  immediately  into  the  domain 
of  life  and  health  and  purity. 


SIR  JAMSETJEE  JEEBOY,   PAESEE   KNIGHT.          125 

From  the  universal  testimony  of  pagan  or  Christian 
travellers  we  find  that  the  Fire-worshippers  of  India  are 
thought  to  be  more  honorable  in  their  dealings  with  one 
another,  and  even  with  strangers,  than  the  generality  of 
Asiatics,  and  even  than  those  peoples  professing  Christi- 
anity. They  rarely  resort  to  written  contracts,  as  their 
word  is  the  best  bond.  Benevolence  is  said  to  flow  in 
their  veins,  so  conspicuous  have  they  become  for  their  love 
of  charity.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Avington,  during  his  stay  at 
Surat  so  early  as  1698,  bore  testimony  to  the  fact  that  the 
Parsees  there  were  ever  more  ready  to  provide  for  the 
comfort  and  support  of  the  poor  and  suffering  than  even 
the  Christians ;  and  this  reputation  they  bear  to  this  day 
in  India.  The  Bombay  government  voted  thanks  so  far 
back  as  1790  to  Sorabjee  Muncherjee,  who  during  the 
scarcity  that  prevailed  at  that  time  daily  fed  at  his  own 
expense  two  thousand  people,  comprising  Jews,  Chris- 
tians, Mohammedans,  and  Hindoos.  Mrs.  Graham,  in 
her  journal  of  a  residence  in  India,  declares  that  she  was 
enraptured  with  the  simplicity,  purity,  and  never-ceasing 
kindliness  of  the  Parsee  community ;  and  every  one  in 
India  is  familiar  writh  the  name  of  that  very  prince  of 
benevolence  and  kindliness,  the  venerable  Parsee  baronet 
Sir  Jamsetjee  Jeeboy,  knighted  by  the  queen  of  England 
for  his  unbounded  charities,  which  are  not  only  unsur- 
passed, but  without  a  parallel,  in  ancient  or  modern 
times.  He  has  done  more  in  his  lifetime  for  Western  In- 
dia, in  feeding  the  poor,  releasing  unhappy  prisoners  for 
debt,  building  causeways,  founding  schools  and  colleges 
for  the  education  of  all  castes  and  conditions  of  men  and 
women,  erecting  hospitals  for  the  relief  of  the  suffering 
poor,  benevolent  institutions  for  the  deformed,  spacious 
resting-places,  or  dhurrum-salas,  for  weary  travellers  in 
all  parts  of  India,  stupendous  aqueducts,  wells,  and  tanks, 


126  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

than  any  other  single  individual,  or  even  the  East  India 
Company,  for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  Connected  with 
the  Grant  Medical  College  of  Bombay  is  the  noble  hos- 
pital, the  gift  of  this  Parsee  baronet;  and  only  a  few 
years  ago  his  family  erected  a  hospital  for  incurables 
near  it.  An  ophthalmic  hospital  has  been  opened  and  en- 
dowed by  another  liberal  Parsee,  Cowasjee  Jehangheer. 

The  late  Sir  Jamsetjee  commenced  life  in  Bombay  at 
the  early  age  of  twelve  as  a  street  peddler,  selling  old 
bottles,  and  was  called  "Bottle- wallah "  to  the  day  of  his 
death. 

In  the  short  space  of  two  centuries  of  u^disturbedjnj 
dustry  the  Parsees  have  placed  themselves  in  competition 
with  the  foremost  of  the  Europeans  in  India.  In  liber^ 
ality  and  enterprise  they  rank  with  the  merchant-princes 
of  England,  and  may  be  justly  compared  to  the  most 
famous  merchants  that  America  has  produced  in  the  last 
century,  and  yet  no  question  has  ever  been  raised  as  to 
the  commercial  integrity  of  the  Parsees.  In  the  Indian 
banks  and  various  other  stock  companies  the  Parsees  are 
prime  movers.  They  are  almost  the  exclusive  owners  of 
all  the  trading-steamers  that  now  navigate  the  Indian  and 
China  seas.  They  are  great  landholders,  and  many  of  the 
finest  residences  in  the  island  of  Bombay  are  owned  by 
Parsees.  They  have  shared  largely  in  introducing  rail- 
ways into  India.  Jamsetjee  Dorabjee  is  now  considered 
the  foremost  railroad  contractor  in  India.  The  most  dif- 
ficult passes  extending  from  the  Thull  Ghauts  to  the  Kust- 
sarah  Mountains,  covered  with  wild  jungles,  full  of  trap 
hills,  mountain-torrents  at  one  season  of  the  year,  and 
devoid  of  water  at  another,  were  laid  open  and  made  as 
easy  of  travel  by  railroad  as  the  most  finished  roads  in 
England  or  America.  Many  English  officers  of  the  en- 
gineer department  have  declared  the  building  of  this  rail- 


ENORMOUS   FORTUNES  AMASSED  IN  BOMBAY.        127 

road  across  the  Thull  Ghauts  and  Kustsarah  a  more  ardu- 
ous undertaking  than  that  of  the  great  Pacific  Railroad 
across  the  American  continent. 

Europe,  during  the  great  American  War  deprived  sud- 
denly of  one  of  the  chief  products  so  necessary  to  her  in- 
dustries, resorted  to  India  for  cotton,  and  all  at  once  the 
island  of  Bombay  became  not  only  the  great  centre  of 
trade,  but  soon  attracted  to  herself  merchants  and  traders 
in  cotton  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  each  and 
all  eagerly  competing  for  the  same  prize,  the  monopoly  of 
the  cotton-market.  Enormous  fortunes  were  amassed  in  an 
incredibly  short  space  of  time,  and  for  a  brief  period  the 
whole  commerce  of  the  great  East  and  West  seemed  to 
flow  into  the  port  of  the  small  island  of  Bombay.  Mis- 
informed by  the  English  press,  and  seemingly  unwilling 
to  investigate  for  themselves  the  true  nature  of  the  almost 
superhuman  struggle  carried  on  between  kinsmen  for  the 
preservation  of  State  rights  and  the  suppression  of  slavery 
on  the  American  continent,  this  eager  crowd  only  foresaw 
what  seemed  the  most  natural,  the  utter  destruction  of  the 
great  republic  of  the  United  States  and  the  magnificent 
future  for  themselves  springing  from  the  very  ashes  of 
this  ruin.  Thus  assured,  and  blinded  to  every  other  con- 
sideration, even  the  wise  and  hitherto  prudent  merchants 
of  Bombay  became  dazzled  with  the  prospects  in  view, 
and  launched  forth  into  the  most  gigantic  enterprises  and 
into  rash  schemes  for  the  utmost  development  of  one  and 
all  the  various  resources  of  the  country.  Everywhere  this 
feverish,  insatiable  thirst  to  profit  by  a  great  nation's  ap- 
proaching destruction  displayed  itself.  Men  and  women 
who  had  never  dreamed  of  speculating  in  stocks,  the  rich 
with  his  hundreds  of  thousands  and  the  poor  with  hardly 
a  few  rupees  to  his  name,  master  and  servant,  were  alike 
seized  with  the  distemper  called  by  the  few  who  looked 


128  LIFE   AND   TKAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

calmly  on  " Rupea-Dewana/'  "the  rupee-mad."  How 
changed  was  the  once  happy  population  !  What  anxious 
faces,  revealing  lines  of  thought  and  care,  of  midnight 
toil,  of  mingled  fear  and  hope!  Still,  the  great  drama 
went  on,  and  for  a  short  period  immense  fortunes  were 
made  in  a  day.  But  no  sooner  had  the  whole  island 
gained  sufficient  encouragement  to  set  on  foot  her  gigantic 
schemes  and  rash  enterprises,  no  sooner  had  she  at  one 
final  throw  staked  all  on  the  ruin  of  the  Northern  States, 
than  came  the  appalling  intelligence  of  General  Lee's  defeat. 
A  fearful  revulsion  followed :  sudden  panic  seized  the 
busy  world  enclosed  in  the  small  compass  of  the  Bombay 
"  Commercial  Square."  Like  a  flock  of  birds,  the  bus- 
iness population  took  wing  and  vanished  out  of  sight. 
The  banks  were  closed,  flourishing  houses  collapsed,  firms 
disappeared,  and  an  almost  universal  ruin  stared  every  one 
in  the  face.  The  very  atmosphere  was  filled  with  the  de- 
spair of  men  who  had  so  rashly  staked  all  and  lost  all. 

Painful  as  the  lesson  has  been,  it  was  a  wholesome  one, 
not  only  for  all  classes  of  merchants  in  British  India,  but 
for  Old  England  herself.  The  merchants  of  Bombay  are 
once  more  in  their  counting-rooms  and  warehouses,  the 
banks  are  as  firmly  established  as  ever,  with  a  richer  ex- 
perience and  a  more  profound  insight  into  the  laws  which 
govern  the  moral  as  well  as  the  business  world ;  they  yet 
bid  fair  to  render  the  beautiful  island  of  Bamba  Devi  the 
heart  and  centre  of  all  the  commerce  of  the  East,  even  as 
she  is  now,  owing  to  her  remarkable  sanitary  conditions, 
the  healthiest  city  in  India.  She  is  the  second  city  in  the 
British  empire  in  point  of  numbers,  having  a  population 
of  six  hundred  thousand,  and  an  average  to  the  square 
mile  exceeding  that  of  London ;  nevertheless,  the  average 
death-rate  for  the  past  five  years  has  been  the  same  as 
that  of  London. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

Hindoo  Treatment  of  the  Sick. — Pundit's  House  Defiled. — Its  Purifi- 
cation.— Short  Sketch  of  the  Different  Races  and  of  the  Origin  of 
Castes  and  Creeds  among  the  Peoples  of  Hindostan. 

THE  Hindoo  treatment  of  the  sick  is  quite  peculiar,  and 
I  once  had  an  opportunity  to  witness  some  of  its  curious 
features  during  the  illness  of  my  Sanskrit  teacher,  the 
pundit  Govind.  I  was  fortunate  in  this,  since  only  ex- 
ceptional circumstances  permit  a  European  to  pollute 
with  his  presence  the  dwelling  of  a  high-caste  Brahman. 
Every  one  knows  that  caste  still  holds  the  Hindoos  under 
an  iron  rule,  but  it  is  difficult  for  us  of  the  Western 
World  to  realize,  without  actual  experience,  the  tenacity 
with  which  its  mandates  are  obeyed  even  in  an  extremity. 

For  several  days  Govind  had  not  presented  himself  to 
give  his  usual  morning  lesson  at  the  "  Aviary."  I  feared 
he  was  ill,  but  did  not  venture  to  visit  him,  lest  my  very 
shadow  might  pollute  his  dwelling  and  place  him  in  an 
unpleasant  dilemma  with  the  rest  of  his  high-caste  friends. 
I  began  to  be  alarmed,  however,  on  the  third  morning  of 
Govind's  absence,  and  was  on  the  point  of  starting  off  to 
his  house,  when  I  observed  a  native  woman  coming  toward 
the  "Aviary,"  her  scarlet  saree  fluttering  in  the  breeze 
and  making  quite  a  pretty  picture  in  the  distance. 

I  hastened  to  the  doorstep  to  meet  the  stranger.  She 
salaamed  to  me,  but  positively  declined  to  enter  the  house. 
As  she  did  so  she  flung  back  her  scarf  or  covering,  and 
from  the  sectarian  mark  on  her  forehead  I  knew  that  she 

V  129 


130  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

was  a  high-caste  Brahmanee.  She  stood  for  a  few  min- 
utes breathless  and  silent,  and  I  do  not  remember  ever 
having  seen  a  more  delicate  and  sensitive-looking  girl. 
The  saree,  which  was  a  scarlet  muslin  cloth  of  Indian 
manufacture,  and  decorated  with  a  handsome  border,  cov- 
ered her  person  from  head  to  foot,  leaving  the  left  arm 
and  shoulder  bare.  '  I  noticed  that  she  had  sandals  on  her 
feet  and  a  number  of  bangles  round  her  arms  and  ankles. 
Her  shining  black  hair  was  tied  in  a  massive  knot  behind 
and  fastened  by  a  gold  pin,  which  also  served  to  secure 
the  end  of  her  saree  as  a  veil  and  covering  for  her  head. 
Her  features,  form,  arms,  hands,  and  feet  were  of  the  most 
exquisite  type,  and  her  complexion  of  a  rich  chocolate- 
brown. 

She  at  length  lifted  her  dark  eyes  brimming  with  tears, 
and  with  a  slightly  quivering  voice  said,  "  Beebee  saihib 
tora  douva  daoh  kuda  ka  wasta ;  Govind  ka  jahn  jata  hai  " 
("  Lady,  for  God's  sake  give  me  a  little  medicine ;  Govind's 
life  is  passing  away  "). 

I  inquired  the  nature  of  his  complaint,  but  all  I  could 
learn  from  the  young  woman  was  that  Govind's  stomach 
and  legs  had  gone  away,  and  that  his  head  was  fast  fol- 
lowing his  heels,  which  is  the  Oriental  phraseology  for 
extreme  prostration. 

I  seized  a  small  bottle  of  brandy,  a  physician's  mixture 
at  hand  for  cholera  morbus,  and  some  quinine,  and  started 
with  the  Brahmanee  for  the  home  of  Govind  the  pundit. 
In  less  than  half  an  hour  we  stood  before  a  mean, 
wretched-looking  bamboo  dwelling,  the  walls  of  which 
were  plastered  with  mud  and  covered  over  with  an  attap  * 
roof.  It  stood  in  the  middle  of  a  small  patch  of  ground 
neatly  smeared  over  with  cowordure.  In  the  centre  of 
*  A  species  of  palm-leaf  dried  and  stitched  together,  much  used  all 
over  Hindostan  in  roofing  houses  and  sheds. 


A  BRAHMAN'S  HOUSEHOLD.  131 

this  yard  was  a  flourishing  plant  growing  out  of  a  large 
earthen  pot  buried  in  the  ground — the  Indian  "mehn- 
dee  "  *  (sacred  to  the  goddess  Bhawanee),  called  Lawsonia 
by  English  botanists.  It  was  in  full  blossom,  with  small 
delicate,  fragrant  flowers  resembling  the  clematis. 

The  sky  was  very  much  overcast,  portending  soon  a 
shower  or  thunderstorm ;  the  air  was  hot  and  sultry.  I 
stood  for  a  moment  or  two  before  the  half-open  door  of 
the  little  hut,  whence  proceeded  a  low,  faint,  tremulous 
sound  which  I  recognized  as  the  voice  of  Govind,  my 
teacher,  enfeebled  by  his  illness.  As  I  stood  there  hesi- 
tating to  enter,  the  pretty  little  Brahmanee  dropped  on  her 
knees  before  the  door,  and,  having  saluted  the  presiding 
genius  of  the  dwelling  three  times,  advanced,  creeping 
softly  in  on  her  knees.  At  length  I  summoned  courage 
enough  to  walk  in,  but  I  did  so  in  my  stockings,  leaving 
my  shoes  on  the  doorsill.  Even  this  was,  as  I  afterward 
learned,  desecration  to  the  Brahman's  household. 

On  a  low  charpie,  or  native  cot,  standing  apart  within 
an  enclosure  formed  by  a  mud  wall  a  few  inches  in  height, 
lay  the  pundit,  his  eyes  closed,  his  features  shrunk  and 
wasted.  The  little  woman,  who  I  divined  was  his  wife, 
had  already  taken  her  place  at  his  feet,  which  she  kept 
rubbing  in  a  listless  way,  the  sad  expression  deepening  on 
her  dark  but  beautiful  face,  the  great  tears  brimming  her 
eyes  and  coursing  one  after  another  all  unheeded  down 
her  cheeks. 

The  dwelling  consisted  of  two  apartments.     Through  a 

*  Most  of  the  high-caste  Hindoo  women  cultivate  this  plant  for  the 
purpose  of  dyeing  their  nails  and  finger-tips.  The  dye  is  prepared  by 
bruising  the  leaves  and  moistening  them  with  a  little  lime-water. 
This  mixture  is  then  applied  to  the  nails,  tips  of  the  fingers,  palms  of 
the  hands,  and  sometimes  even  to  the  soles  of  the  feet,  which  in  a 
short  time  become  dyed  of  a  reddish-orange  color.  The  stain  remains 
on  the  skin  until  it  wears  off. 


t 


132  LIFE  AND  TEAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

doorway  to  which  there  was  no  door  I  saw  an  old  woman 
seated  by  a  rude  fire  on  the  floor  in  the  adjoining  room 
cooking  some  rice  in  an  earthen  pot,  and  before  her  on  the 
floor  were  a  board  and  a  rolling-pin,  with  which  she  had 
been  rolling  out  some  wheaten  cakes,  piled,  already  baked, 
in  a  copper  platter  by  the  fire.  The  moment  I  entered 
the  hut  she  turned  her  shrivelled  features,  and,  seeing  a 
white  woman,  she  gave  a  shrill  cry ;  then,  stretching  out 
her  bare,  bony  arms,  implored  me  in  piteous  tones  to  be- 
gone. "But,  lady,"  said  I,  trying  to  appease  her,  "I 
cannot  go  away.  Govind  is  very  ill,  and  I  have  some 
medicine  here  that  may  cure  him." 

Hearing  her  still  entreating  me  to  begone,  Bhawanee 
begged  her  to  let  me  stay  and  give  the  medicine  to  Go- 
vind ;  at  which  the  poor  old  woman,  shuddering,  retreated 
to  the  inner  apartment,  resumed  for  a  time  her  cries,  ut- 
tering them  in  a  loud  voice  and  in  a  tone  at  once  piercing 
and  imperious,  "  You  dare  not  come  in  here !  you  dare  not ! 
What  reason  have  you  for  daring  to  give  my  son  medi- 
cine? I  want  you  hateful  In)rage  (English)  to  know 
that  I  would  rather  have  him  die,  rather  have  him  die, 
than  be  polluted  by  your  vile  drinks,  made  of  devils' 
blood  and  pig's  flesh ;  I  would  rather  have  him  die." 
Rocking  herself  to  and  fro,  she  kept  her  strange  glittering, 
dark  eyes  fixed  upon  me,  and  repeated,  lowering  her  voice 
more  and  more  gradually,  "  I  would  rather  have  him 
die,"  till  she  seemed  to  be  talking  to  herself.  I  really 
thought  she  was  delirious  or  perhaps  out  of  her  mind ; 
but  Bhawanee  whispered  to  me,  "  She  is  very  old  and  very 
cross,  and  sometimes  possessed  of  a  devil." 

All  the  noise  made  by  the  old  woman  did  not  seem  to 
disturb  her  son,  who  was  in  a  deep  sleep,  his  respiration 
so  heavy  and  labored,  and  his  pallor  so  death-like,  that  I 
almost  feared  he  was  dying.  But  at  the  end  of  half  an 


"WIFE,   WHAT  HAVE   YOU  DONE?"  133 

hour  he  stirred  and  made  a  vain  attempt  to  turn  on  his 
side ;  failing,  he  gave  a  look  toward  the  foot  of  the  bed, 
where  his  sorrow-stricken  wife  sat  still  and  mute.  Meet- 
ing his  gaze,  she  crept  to  the  head  of  the  bed,  and,  taking 
his  hand  tenderly  in  hers,  sobbed  out  in  broken  accents, 
"Govind  duva  piuh,  tora  duva  piuh"  ("Govind,  drink 
some  medicine — just  a  little  of  the  medicine"). 

The  pundit  opened  wide  his  half-closed  eyes,  looked 
full  and  inquiringly  into  his  wife's  face,  and  then  turned 
them  upon  me.  If  I  had  been  the  very  lowest  wretch  on 
the  face  of  the  earth,  he  could  not  have  been  more  startled 
and  horrified  than  he  seemed  at  my  presence.  He  almost 
sprang  up,  but  in  another  second  fell  back  on  the  bed, 
and,  putting  his  hands  before  his  face,  cried  feebly  to  his 
wife,  "  Wife,  wife,  what  have  you  done  ?" 

There  was  deep  sympathy  in  the  voice  of  the  poor 
young  woman  as  she  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  Govind,  I  thought 
you  were  dying.  I  did  not  know  what  else  to  do,  and 
Doorah  has  been  gone  since  morning,  and  is  not  yet 
returned.  Oh,  please  take  the  lady's  medicine.  Never 
mind  about  caste;  we  can  do  'puja'  for  it,  and  be  re- 
stored ;"  and  the  poor  woman  began  to  sob  as  if  her  heart 
would  break. 

"  What  are  my  sufferings  and  death,  that  you  should 
create  so  much  disturbance  about  them  ?"  feebly  moaned 
Goviud.  "Let  me  die,  oh,  let  me  die  quietly!"  and 
again  the  deadly  pallor  overspread  his  face. 

"Govind,"  said  I  in  a  very  energetic  tone,  "drink 
this."  I  had  already  poured  out  a  little  brandy  into  an 
earthen  lota  or  cup,  which  his  wife  handed  me,  and  giv- 
ing it  back  to  her  said,  "  Put  it  to  his  lips ;  he  will  be 
better  as  soon  as  he  has  swallowed  a  little  of  it." 

Poor  Bhawanee,  nervous  and  trembling  from  head  to 
foot,  tried,  and  tried  in  vain,  to  persuade  her  husband  to 


134  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

take  even  a  mouthful  of  the  medicine.  Each  time  that 
she  presented  the  lota  to  his  lips  he  would  put  it  aside, 
and  turn  away  his  face,  muttering,  "Better  to  die  than 
pollute  myself  with  what  I  am  forbidden  to  touch." 

The  old  woman,  who  had  never  taken  her  eyes  off  me, 
hearing  his  voice,  began  to  moan,  "  Oh,  beloved  son,  die, 
die,  but  do  not  touch  their  unholy  drinks." 

I  did  not  know  what  to  do,  but,  inspired  by  poor  Bha- 
wanee's  entreating  look,  which,  though  she  said  not  a 
word,  plainly  urged  me  to  persevere,  I  once  more  en- 
deavored to  get  the  patient  to  swallow  a  little  of  the 
brandy.  "  Govind,"  said  I,  "  do  get  over  your  scruples, 
which  are  well  enough  in  health,  but  absurd  in  your  fast- 
failing  condition.  Drink  a  mouthful  of  this ;  it  will  help 
to  revive  you  until  your  doctor  comes.  No  one  need  ever 
know  that  you  have  tasted  brandy ;  I  promise  you  to  keep 
it  a  profound  secret." 

"  Do,  oh  do !"  urged  his  wife — "  eke  gutta  piuh — take 
only  one  gulp." 

"  Much  or  little,  a  drop  or  a  whole  bottle,  are  all  the 
same  to  me,"  groaned  the  poor  pundit.  "  You  may  not 
speak  of  it,  lady,  and  no  one,  no  one  may  know  it,  but 
how  can  I  conceal  the  fact  from  myself?" 

I  felt  it  was  useless  to  persuade  the  patient  to  try  the 
remedies  I  had  brought  with  me. 

At  this  moment  we  not  only  heard  the  sound  of  ap- 
proaching feet,  but  a  sudden  clap  of  thunder,  preceded  by 
a  flash  of  lightning,  almost  blinded  us  as  we  sat  in  the 
hut,  and  down  came  a  deluging  rain.  Bhawanee  rose, 
and  in  a  state  of  great  agitation  begged  me  to  retire  by 
the  back  door ;  but,  casting  her  eyes  on  my  stocking  feet, 
and  apprehending  that  my  European  shoes  on  the  thresh- 
old of  her  dwelling  had  already  betrayed  my  presence  to 
her  friends,  she  begged  me  to  keep  my  place,  when  in 


HINDOO   DOCTOR,   PRIEST,   AND  SOOTHSAYER.        135 

walked,  all  dripping,  three  strange-looking  men,  accom- 
panied by  Doorah,  her  sister,  who  had  been  despatched  in 
the  early  morning  in  search  of  a  doctor,  a  priest,  and  a 
soothsayer. 

Bhawanee  rose  and  bowed  before  them,  and  so  did  the 
old  woman  from  her  place  in  the  inner  room.  It  was 
comforting  to  see  the  poor  woman's  expression,  which  till 
now  had  been  full  of  despair,  replaced  by  a  look  of  child- 
like confidence  and  trust,  though  I  doubted  whether  the 
Hindoo  priest,  doctor,  or  soothsayer  could  do  much  to- 
ward helping  the  sick  man. 

The  doctor,  who  was  a  tall,  dark,  and  rather  handsome 
high-caste  Hindoo,  placed  himself  near  the  bedside  of 
Govind  and  proceeded  to  feel  his  skin,  pulse,  and  chest 
and  to  examine  the  condition  of  his  tongue,  eyes,  and  nails. 

Meanwhile,  the  Brahman  priest  requested  a  pitcher  of 
water  and  an  empty  bowl.  Furnished  with  these  by 
Doorah,  Bhawanee?s  sister,  he  sat  himself  down  in  the 
middle  of  the  room  and  began  to  transfer  the  water  from 
the  empty  bowl,  drop  by  drop,  repeating  over 
the  "Gayatree,"  the  holiest  text  of  the  V£das, 
the  most  sacred  and  effacious  prayer  of  the  Brahmans,  and 
thought  \>y  them  to  be  absolutely  necessary  to  salvation, 
while  the  soothsayer  sat  apart  waiting  his  turn  to  perform 
certain  magical  enchantments  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor 
sick  man.  The  latter  opened  his  eyes  once  more  and  looked 
at  his  Guru,*  or  priest,  and  said  solemnly,  "  I  am  dying." 

*  A  "Gum"  is  a  spiritual  guide,  a  Brahman  ecclesiastic,  invested 
with  the  power  of  attending  births,  deathbeds,  marriages,  and  settling 
all  such  questions  as  effect  Hindoo  caste  and  all  its  duties  and  obliga- 
tions. A  Guru  is  generally  an  ascetic  of  peculiar  sanctity,  and  is  often 
worshipped  as  an  incarnate  deity.  This  office  descends  from  father  to 
son.  The  Gurus  comprise  a  very  large  and  influential  body  of  men, 
occupying  the  chief  cities  of  India,  wielding  a  despotic  power  over  the 
people,  as  their  curse  is  dreaded  by  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  people. 


136  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

"  Dying  ?  you  are  not  dying/'  said  the  doctor.  "  I  will 
soon  make  you  well,"  whereupon  he  opened  a  bag  and 
drew  out  of  it  some  pieces  of  iron,  which  he  placed  on  a 
charcoal  fire.  While  these  were  being  heated  he  took  out 
various  roots  and  dried  herbs  and  began  to  rub  them  on  a 
small  stone,  occasionally  moistening  the  stone  with  a  little 
water.  Having  compounded  several  queer,  dark -looking 
doses,  he,  to  my  utter  astonishment,  deliberately  began 
pinching,  thumping,  and  slapping  poor  Govind — now  on 
his  back,  anon  on  the  soles  of  his  feet.  His  sides,  palms, 
shoulders,  elbows,  knee-joints  were  all  slapped  and  beaten. 
This  done,  he  branded  with  the  hot  pieces  of  iron  the  poor 
patient  on  the  pit  of  his  stomach,  the  inside  of  his  arms, 
and  the  calves  of  his  legs ;  then  administered  his  queer- 
looking  doses,  which  the  unhappy-looking  Govind  swal- 
lowed without  a  sign  of  remonstrance ;  and,  finally  cover- 
ing him  from  head  to  foot  with  a  thick  quilt,  the  Hindoo 
physician  beckoned  to  the  soothsayer  to  complete  the 
cure. 

The  soothsayer  robed  himself  in  a  dress  covered  with 
strange  designs  of  men  exorcising  fiends,  put  on  a  cap  to 
which  was  attached  two  or  three  long  cords,  at  the  end  of 
which  hung  little  brooms  made  of  kusah-grass  (a  grass 
sacred  to  the  Hindoo  gods).  He  then  took  up  the  pan  of 
burning  coals  and  scattered  them  over  the  quilt  which 
covered  the  patient ;  these  he  brushed  off  as  rapidly  as 
possible  with  the  sacred  brooms  hanging  from  his  cap. 
This  was  to  dispossess  the  sick  man  of  some  extraordinary 
but  invisible  devil,  which  he  then  drove  out  at  the  door, 
running  after  the  spirit  and  howling  terrific  invectives  on  it 
for  having  dared  to  enter  the  "  divine  precincts  occupied 
by  the  liver  of  a  Brahman."  All  this  while  the  Guru,  or 
priest,  prayed,  chanting  in  a  monotonous  tone,  over  each 
drop  of  water  that  passed  from  the  pitcher  to  the  bowl, 


THE   PURIFICATION  CEREMONY.  137 

and  each  of  which  was  supposed  to  carry  off  with  it  the 
cholera  of  the  sick  man. 

Strange  to  say,  violent  and  absurd  as  were  the  remedies 
administered  to  poor  Govind,  he  not  only  bore  them  pa- 
tiently, but  seemed  better ;  a  profuse  perspiration  having 
broken  out  upon  him,  it  was  looked  upon  as  a  most  hope- 
ful sign  and  an  especial  interposition  of  Brahm. 

In  another  hour  the  rain  ceased ;  Govind  had  fallen  into 
a  peaceful  sleep;  Bhawanee's  face  was  irradiated  with 
smiles ;  the  old  woman  was  setting  out  their  mid-day  re- 
past on  a  mat  in  the  adjoining  apartment.  I  returned 
home,  promising  to  call  and  see  Bhawanee  on  the  follow- 
ing day.  The  next  day,  when  I  started  off,  I  fully  ex- 
pected to  hear  that  Goviud  had  passed  away ;  but  when  I 
reached  the  outer  gate  of  the  yard  enclosing  Govind's 
dwelling  I  found  the  pundit,  although  looking  weak  and 
feeble  enough,  seated  on  a  small  stone  holding  in  his  left 
"hand  three  blades  of  kusah-grass.  The  old  woman,  who 
was  in  the  act  of  tying  up  the  lock  of  sacred  hair  on  his 
head  in  some  mystical  form,  shouted  to  me  to  keep  off. 
I  stood  at  a  distance  and  looked  on.  He  was  evidently 
undergoing  the  purification  ceremony.  Bhawanee,  who 
smiled  sweetly  at  me,  was  holding  before  her  husband  a 
bowl  of  water,  which  he  first  sipped,  then  flung  a  little  of 
it  toward  the  horizon,  and  washed  his  hands,  ears,  breast, 
eyes,  nose,  shoulders,  and  feet,  repeating  over  each  mem- 
ber a  prayer.  His  wife  then  brought  him  a  stick  of  lighted 
wood  from  the  household  fire ;  he  breathed  over  it,  repeat- 
ing the  mystic  word  "  Aum,"  "  O  divine  Spirit,  resplend- 
ent Fire,  purify  me  from  all  uncleanliness."  He  then 
placed  the  sacred  grass  on  his  right  ear  (Gtinga,  the  sacred 
river,  is  supposed  to  have  its  source  in  the  right  ear  of 
Brahm,  the  sacrificial  fire  (or  life)  in  Brahm's  nostrils,  so 
that  when  the  pundit  touched  these  members  of  his  per- 


138  LIFE  AND  TEAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

son  with  fire  and  water  all  the  impurity  entailed  by  my 
visit  to  his  house  on  the  previous  day  passed  away). 
Finally  he  took  some  sacred  mud  out  of  a  pot  which  was 
handed  to  him  by  his  wife,  and  made  the  holy  mark,  the 
circle  and  the  cross  of  his  caste  and  race,  on  his  brow. 

Meanwhile,  Doorah,  the  sister,  had  been  purifying  the 
hut.  First  it  was  sprinkled  all  over  with  holy  water, 
smeared  with  cow-ordure,  and  lastly  fumigated  with  cer- 
tain gums — a  very  sensible  proceeding  in  a  hot,  moist  cli- 
mate like  that  of  Bombay. 

And  at  length  the  poor  pundit,  restored  to  his  normal 
condition  of  holiness,  was  once  more  assisted  into  his  bed 
by  his  tender  and  loving  wife.  I  smiled  at  them  from  a 
distance,  and  went  my  way  regretting  more  keenly  than 
ever  we  were  so  separated  from  one  another  that  the  sim- 
plest act  of  kind  interest  on  my  part  should  entail  on  the 
whole  household  a  series  of  purificatory  rites  to  last  for 
seven  days. 

As  long  as  there  exist  in  social  life  certain  laws,  man- 
ners, and  customs  by  which  the  civilized  man  is  distin- 
guished from  the  savage,  the  gentleman  from  the  cow- 
herd, the  high-born  dame  from  her  lowly  maid,  so  long 
will  caste,  which  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  social 
grades,  complicate  the  lives  and  destinies  not  only  of  the 
races  of  the  East,  but  of  the  West.  The  three  great  prob- 
lems which  yet  remain  to  be  solved  by  the  British  in  India 
are  to  do  away  with  the  degradation  of  man  by  caste,  the 
bondage  of  woman  by  custom,  and  the  deterioration  of 
childhood  through  the  influence  of  the  one  and  the  other. 

Caste  on  Indian  soil  was  not  in  its  beginning  an  entirely 
arbitrary  institution ;  it  was  at  first  the  natural  expression 
of  a  high-bred  and  highly-sensitive  race  toward  an  inferior 
and  savage  population  among  which  they  had  settled.  It 
took  centuries  before  caste  was  established  on  Indian  soil, 


THE   RACES  OF   HIXDOSTAN.  139 

and  nearly  a  thousand  years  before  it  became  incorporated 
in  the  sacred  books  of  the  Brahmans  in  its  present  form. 
But  the  moment  that  divine  authority  was  claimed  for  it, 
that  moment  it  became  to  the  God-fearing  races  of  the 
East  a  law  so  subtle,  so  intricate,  and  yet  so  absolute,  that 
the  most  daring  as  well  as  the  most  abject  could  not  hope 
to  escape  its  iron  rule. 

From  the  remotest  times  there  has  been  a  ceaseless 
march  of  tribes  and  races  into  the  vast  peninsula  called 
Hindostan,  from  which  there  is  no  easy  outlet,  east  or 
west,  north  or  south ;  all  points  are  equally  difficult  and 
impassable — mountain-barriers  on  the  north,  with  ranges 
of  mountains  and  circling  seas  on  every  other  side.  Never- 
theless, pouring  across  the  Indus  and  straggling  down  the 
narrow  defiles  and  passes  of  the  Himalayas,  came  wave 
after  wave  of  immigration,  pushing  the  earlier  populations 
farther  and  farther  into  the  hills  and  forest-boundaries  of 
the  occupied  land.  Each  wave,  borne  down  by  the  later 
arrival,  disappeared  or  retreated  deeper  and  deeper  into 
the  heart  of  the  country  till  the  whole  of  India  was  over- 
flooded  by  the  great  Aryan  invasion. 

In  no  part  of  the  world  are  there  found  so  many  re- 
mains of  distinct  tribes  and  races  of  men  as  in  Hindostan 
proper.  Everywhere  in  the  forests,  in  the  most  inaccess- 
ible mountain-regions  of  the  peninsula,  and  all  along  the 
sea-coast,  are  tribes  and  races  who  seem  to  have  been 
hemmed  in  where  we  now  find  them.  The  vast  plains 
of  the  regions  of  the  Indus  and  the  Ganges  afforded  no 
place  of  refuge  to  the  retreating  barbarians.  Hence,  with 
the  exception  of  some  few  who  were  absorbed  into  the 
population  of  Lower  Bengal,  the  Aryans  drove  all  before 
them,  even  the  Tamuls,  a  partly-civilized  people,  who, 
having  swept  the  earlier  inhabitants  southward,  were  in 
their  turn  forced  south. 


140  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

From  the  latitude  of  the  Vindhyan  chain  down  to 
Cape  Comorin,  and  in  the  forests  of  Ceylon,  the  aborig- 
inal populations  of  India  are  still  to  be  met  with,  living 
in  detached  communities,  distinct  in  physical  appearance, 
manners,  customs,  and  religions,  not  only  from  the  Hin- 
doos, Tamuls,  Moslems,  and  Parsees,  but  from  one  another. 

Nothing  annoyed  our  pundit  so  much  as  when  he  heard 
me  call  my  bhistee,  or  water-man,  "  a  Hindoo :"  "  Hin- 
doo nay,  maim  sahib,  whoo  jungly-wallah  hai "  ("  Not  Hin- 
doo-man, but  a  savage  of  the  forest ").  And,  to  tell  the 
truth,  one  could  not  fail  to  notice  between  the  Hindoo 
pundit  and  the  coolie-bhistee  as  marked  a  difference  as 
one  sees  between  a  high-bred  American  gentleman  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race  and  the  newly-emancipated  American 
negro. 

In  crossing  the  Indus  one  comes  upon  the  relics  of 
ancient  races  in  the  dark-complexioned,  diminutive,  but 
powerfully  athletic  natives  of  Guzerat,  many  of  whom  are 
now  the  coolies  or  porters  of  Bombay.  Again,  scattered 
over  the  Vindhyan  and  Satpurah  mountains  and  the 
banks  of  the  Nerbudda  and  Tapti  are  other  tribes  of  a 
very  peculiar  race  called  Bheels  or  Bhils,  probably  from 
the  Sanskrit  word  "  bhil,"  which  signifies  "  separate "  or 
"outcasts."  The  legends  of  these  tribes,  one  and  all, 
trace  their  origin  to  the  union  of  the  god  Mahadtto 
with  a  beautiful  woman  met  by  him  in  a  forest.  From 
this  union  sprang  a  sort  of  giant  distinguished  by  his 
ugliness  and  vice,  who,  after  having  perpetrated  a  series 
of  horrible  crimes,  killed  the  sacred  Brahmanic  bull  of 
the  god,  and  was  banished  to  the  wilderness  of  Jodhpoor. 
The  history  of  the  Rajpoot  princes  of  Jodhpoor  and  Odh- 
poor  corroborates  this  account  of  the  Bhil  emigration. 
The  Bhats,*  or  minstrels,  of  the  Bhils  still  reside  in  Raj- 

*  The  Bhats  and  Charans,  the  bards  and  genealogists  of  these  tribes, 


ft&gs&i*^ 


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THE  CELEBRATED   NADIR  SINGH.  141 

pootana,  and  make  yearly  visits  to  the  countries  of  the 
various  Bhil  tribes  to  celebrate  festal  seasons  with  music 
and  song.  The  celebrated  N£dir  Singh,  a  Bhilahah  (that 
is,  one  sprung  from  the  marriage  of  a  Rajpoot  with  a 
Bhil  woman),  was  one  of  the  most  formidable  freebooters 
of  his  time  until  the  establishment  of  an  English  settle- 
ment at  Mhau,*  when  he  was  compelled  to  discharge  his 
foreign  adherents  and  renounce  plundering,  f 

The  Bhils  are  short  in  stature,  thick-set,  almost  black, 
with  wiry  hair  and  beard,  but  extraordinarily  active  and 
capable  of  enduring  great  fatigue,  delighting  in  flesh  of 
all  kinds  and  intoxicating  drinks,  with  which  no  Brahman 
will  ever  pollute  his  sacred  lips.  The  chiefs  of  the  Bhils 
are  called  Bhomiyahs,  and  are  generally  of  the  Bhilalah 
or  mixed  race.  They  exercise  the  most  absolute  power 
over  their  subjects ;  each  chief  is  styled  a  "  dhani,"  or  lord, 
and  the  most  atrocious  crimes  are  often  committed  at  his 
bidding.  In  order  to  limit  this  absolute  power,  however, 

are  remarkable  for  their  power  of  reciting  from  memory  whole  epics 
describing  the  birth,  exploits,  and  death  of  the  various  Bhil  chiefs. 
They  will  also  devote  themselves  to  death  or  to  receive  the  most  cruel 
mutilations  in  order  to  keep  a  promise,  accomplish  a  vow,  recover  a 
debt,  or  to  obtain  any  end  which  might  be  secured  by  inspiring  others 
with  superstitious  reverence  and  dread.  A  Bhat  of  Viramghaw  in 
1806  put  his  little  daughter,  a  beautiful  girl  of  seven  years  old,  to 
death  by  decapitation,  and  with  her  blood,  which  he  carried  in  an 
earthen  vessel,  he  sprinkled  the  gate  of  the  Malliah  Rajah's  castle, 
and  thus  compelled  him  to  pay  a  debt  to  the  Gaikwar  for  which  he 
had  become  security. 

*  The  British  established  in  1825  a  Bhil  agency  in  Central  India, 
and  organized  a  Bhil  corps  in  order  to  utilize  the  warlike  instincts  of 
the  various  Bhil  tribes.  This  brave  body  of  men,  who  have  dis- 
tinguished themselves  in  war,  have  recently  done  good  service  in  aid- 
ing to  put  down  the  predatory  habits  of  their  countrymen.  They  are 
slowly  becoming  cultivators  of  the  soil,  though  still  unwilling  to  rent 
land  and  thus  bind  themselves  to  fixed  habits  for  any  length  of  time. 

f  A  remarkable  account  of  a  residence  with  Nddir,  and  of  some  of 
his  murderous  exploits,  will  be  found  in  the  Autobiography  of  Luifullah. 


142  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

there  are  certain  religious  officers  called  "  tarwis,"  or  heads 
of  tribes,  whose  counsel  must  be  attended  to  by  the  chiefs. 
The  worship  of  the  Bhils  is  paid  to  Mahadeo,  the  high 
god,  and  Devi  his  consort,  the  goddess  of  small-pox. 
A  great  number  of  infernal  deities  are  also  propitiated 
by  yearly  offerings  and  pilgrimages  to  their  respective 
shrines. 

While  the  Bhil  men  are  brutal,  cruel,  and  drunken,  it 
is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  Bhil  women  are  chaste, 
gentle,  and  almost  always  very  good-looking.* 

Driven  southward  by  the  conquering  Rajpoots,  num- 
bers of  the  Bhils  adopted  the  savage  life  of  freebooters 
and  robbers,  which  they  still  retain,  and  the  more  wealthy 
settled  in  Guzerat  and  Candeish,  where  most  richly-orna- 
mented temples  and  rock-shrines  are  to  be  found  to-day, 
and  such  as  remained  with  the  Rajpoots  became  hardy 
cultivators  of  the  soil  or  the  bravest  of  watchmen  when 
employed  as  guards. 

In  character  they  are  sensitive  on  points  of  honor 
among  themselves,  but  desperate  foes,  revenging  them- 
selves, sometimes  years  after,  for  any  grievance  perpe- 
trated against  one  of  their  tribe.  I  rgmember  an  incident 
related  to  me  by  my  mother  which  is  characteristic  of  the 
Bhil  freebooters  and  robbers.  My  stepfather  was  ap- 
pointed to  survey  the  public  road  newly  opened  from 
Cambay  to  the  confines  of  the  great  and  then  almost  un- 
known province  of  Guzerat.  She  had  decided  to  accom- 
pany him  on  his  long  and  hazardous  journey.  Having 
acquired  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  Guzerati  language,  she 
proved,  as  he  had  hoped,  an  invaluable  aid  in  settling  dis- 
putes about  payments  of  money  for  work  done,  and  in 

*  The  great  reforms  which  have  been  effected  in  many  of  these 
tribes  have  been  very  materially  assisted  by  the  influence  of  the  Bhil 
women. 


A   GANG  OF  BHIL  EOBBERS.  143 

directing  and  instructing  such  of  the  Bhils,  Khands,  and 
other  tribes  as  were  employed  on  the  roads.  Furnished 
with  a  sepoy  guard  and  a  large  amount  of  government 
money  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  road  repairs,  they 
travelled  for  some  time  unmolested  through  the  strange 
country.  On  one  occasion,  however,  they  had  pitched 
their  tents  in  the  village  of  Balmere,  and  had  retired  for 
the  night.  My  stepfather,  fatigued  with  a  hard  day's  ride 
over  the  roads,  slept  soundly.  The  guards  patrolled  the 
little  encampment,  which  consisted  of  three  tents,  two  for 
the  servants  and  sepoys  on  duty,  and  the  other,  a  double- 
poled  tent,  consisting  of  two  rooms  with  a  double  wall  of 
canvas  around  it,  for  the  family.  The  tumbril  which 
conveyed  the  government  money  from  place  to  place  stood 
in  the  corner  of  the  room,  near  the  cot  on  which  my 
mother  slept.  My  stepfather  occupied  the  adjoining  room. 
A  small  lamp  stood  burning  on  the  tumbril,  and  the  key 
had  been  carelessly  left  in  the  treasure-box. 

About  midnight  my  mother  was  suddenly  aroused  by  a 
slight  shuffling  noise.  She  raised  her  head,  and,  looking 
toward  the  spot  whence  the  sound  proceeded,  was  horrified 
at  seeing  the  shadows  of  the  nude  figures  of  several  men 
passing  between  the  outer  and  inner  walls  of  the  tent. 
Presently  a  gang  of  Bhil  robbers  opened  the  tent-door  and 
stood  before  her,  confronting  her,  armed  with  bows  and 
poisoned  arrows.  There  were  six  men  in  all,  with  nothing 
on  their  persons  but  langoutis  *  of  straw  round  their  loins, 
and  their  bodies  highly  greased,  so  as  to  slip  away  from 
the  grasp  of  any  person  who  attempted  to  seize  and  hold 
them. 

Divining  that  their  object  was  to  rob  the  tumbril,  the 
brave  lady,  without  uttering  a  single  cry,  sprang  to  her 

*  A  strip  of  cloth  worn  by  the  lower  population  of  India  around  the 
loins. 


144  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

feet,  standing  erect  and  seemingly  fearless,  and  gazed 
defiantly  at  them.  For  a  moment  or  two  the  foremost 
robbers  seemed  to  hesitate.  Then  the  one  of  the  gang 
nearest  her  addressed  her  in  Guzerati,  and  said,  "  Woman, 
we  do  not  desire  to  hurt  you ;  we  only  mean  to  possess 
ourselves  of  what  we  need,  the  money  in  that  cart  there ;" 
saying  which,  he  attempted  to  advance  toward  the  tum- 
bril. To  scream  for  help  would  imperil  her  own  and 
her  husband's  life,  for  these  freebooters  would  at  once  use 
their  poisoned  arrows ;  but  to  permit  them  quietly  to  rob 
the  government  treasury  would  be  almost  as  fatal,  entail- 
ing on  them  endless  delay,  trouble,  and  perhaps  even 
unjust  suspicion  at  head-quarters.  The  intrepid  wife 
suddenly  remembered  that  the  Bhils  had  a  superstitious 
reverence  for  the  person  of  woman,  and  before  they  had 
time  to  reach  the  tumbril  she  flung  herself  on  her  face 
and  hands  across  their  path,  and  said  solemnly  in  Guze- 
rati, "Only  by  stepping  over  a  woman's  body  can  you 
obtain  possession  of  what  is  entrusted  to  the  care  of  her 
husband."  There  she  lay,  not  daring  to  utter  another 
word,  trembling  from  head  to  foot,  and  anticipating  mo- 
mentary death  from  their  cruel  arrows. 

Minute  after  minute  passed  away,  but  she  still  did  not 
dare  to  open  her  eyes  or  even  turn  her  head  toward  them. 
After  lying  there  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  which  seemed 
almost  an  eternity  of  agonizing  suspense,  and  unable  to 
endure  it  any  longer,  she  ventured  timidly  to  glance  in 
the  direction  of  the  robbers,  and,  lo !  their  places  were 
empty;  the  tent-door  was  closed.  The  Bhil  freebooters, 
hearing  this  strange  being  address  them  in  their  own 
language,  hurling  at  them  one  of  their  most  formidable 
threats,  had  vanished  as  softly  as  they  had  entered  the 
tent,  vanquished  by  the  presence  of  mind  shown  by  a 
delicate  woman. 


BHIL  ROBBERS  ATTACK  A  CLERGYMAN.     145 

On  another  occasion  the  military  chaplain  at  Desa,  a 
British  station  in  Guzerat,  was  on  his  way  to  seek  change 
of  air  at  Mount  Aboo.  At  dusk  one  evening  he  found 
himself  surrounded  by  a  gang  of  Bhil  robbers ;  his  trav- 
elling-wagon was  stopped,  his  driver  took  to  his  heels  and 
fled ;  his  servants  too  had  gone  on  ahead.  Not  knowing 
what  to  do,  he  addressed  them  in  Guzerati,  and  said,  "  I 
am  not  a  rich  man ;  I  am  a  poor  servant  of  God,  a  Chris- 
tian priest  in  search  of  health."  Immediately  the  chief 
of  the  gang  gave  orders  that  he  should  not  be  hurt. 
They  stripped  him,  however,  and  divided  among  them- 
selves whatever  they  could  find.  Two  of  the  gang,  pre- 
senting their  short  daggers  to  the  poor  clergyman,  made 
him  march  before  them  in  his  shirt  for  some  distance. 
Every  time  that  he  turned  to  remonstrate  with  the  rob- 
bers they  pricked  him  slightly  with  their  pointed  daggers, 
till  at  length  he  resolved  to  take  no  further  notice  of 
them.  On  and  on  he  went.  A  great  darkness  had  over- 
taken him ;'  almost  fainting  from  fatigue,  he  sank  to  the 
ground  unable  to  take  another  step,  when,  to  his  surprise, 
he  found  that  the  robbers  had  departed,  leaving  him  to 
pursue  his  way  through  a  wild  jungle.  He  spent  an 
anxious  night  in  the  forest,  retraced  his  steps  to  the  vil- 
lage, and  by  complaining  to  the  headman  was  at  once 
furnished  with  a  guard  and  every  facility  to  pursue  his 
journey,  the  law  here  being  that  if  robbery  or  murder  is 
perpetrated  in  the  vicinity  of  a  village,  the  headman  is 
obliged  to  make  ample  restitution ;  and  he  has  the  power 
to  levy  a  fine  on  the  community  to  indemnify  himself  for 
all  the  expenses  that  such  acts  entail  on  him  as  patel,  or 
governor,  of  the  village.  The  reverend  clergyman  always 
maintained  that  his  escape  from  death  on  this  occasion  was 
owing  to  the  fact  of  his  being  able  to  address  the  robbers 
in  their  own  tongue. 
10 


146  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

South  of  the  Nerbudda,  and  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
Vindhyan  chain,  are  the  Gondsj*  so  called  from  their 
habitual  nudity — a  race  of  the  lowest  type,  jet-black  skin, 
stunted,  thick-lipped,  and  with  small,  deep-set  eyes.  This 
race  is  often  called  by  the  Hindoos  Angorees — i.  e.  canni- 
bals. They  live  in  miserable  huts,  surrounded  by  swine, 
poultry,  buffaloes,  and  dogs,  without  any  industries,  lit- 
erature, or  priesthood,  and  with  few  ceremonials  of  any 
kind  whatever — worshippers  of  serpents,  demons,  or  any- 
thing, in  fact,  that  inspires  them  with  dread,  to  whom 
they  sometimes  sacrifice  their  children  or  captives  taken 
in  war.  Such  religious  rites  as  prevail  among  them  are 
conducted  .by  the  aged  and  honored  members  of  their 
tribe,  both  male  and  female. 

Verging  on  the  Gondwana  f  are  the  hilly  provinces  of 
Orissa,  inhabited  by  the  Khands,  no  doubt  a  tribe 
slightly  in  advance  in  physical  type  and  civilization  of 
their  neighbors,  the  Gonds,  the  Thugs,  and  Sourahs. 
They  regard  the  earth-spirit  as  in  rebellion  against  the 
Supreme  Deity.  To  the  earth-spirit  they  direct  their 
prayers,  and  seek  to  propitiate  her  by  human  sacrifices. 

*  The  Gonds  are  supposed  to  be  the  aborigines  of  the  Sagar  and 
Nagpoor  provinces,  and  have  much  in  common  with  the  Khandsor 
Khands,  another  tribe  of  North  Sarkar.  They  have  dialects  peculiar 
to  themselves,  and  which  have  no  affinity  whatever  with  the  Sanskrit, 
but  probably  are  akin  to  that  of  the  Dravidian  stock.  They  kept  up 
their  old  religious  custom  of  human  sacrifice  until  1835-45,  when  the 
strong  arm  of  the  English  interfered  and  has  almost  put  a  stop  to  it. 

f  Gondwana  has  been  thought  by  some  Oriental  scholars  to  be  the 
ancient  Chedi,  which  was  ruled  by  the  great  Sisupal,  who  is  said  to 
have  governed  India  about  the  time  of  the  appearance  of  Krishna 
(the  last  of  the  incarnations  of  Brahm)  on  earth.  They  identify 
Chanderi,  his  ancient  capital,  with  the  modern  Chanda,  a  city  in  Brit- 
ish India  in  the  Nagpoor  division  of  the  Central  Provinces,  and 
abounding  in  fine  remains  of  huge  reservoirs  for  water,  cave-temples, 
and  the  curious  tombs  of  the  aboriginal  Gond  kings. 


SACRIFICE  OF  THE   MERIAH.  147 

Their  victims  are  called  "  Meriah  "  *  by  the  Oriyahs,  and 
Kudatee  by  the  Khands.  These  victims  must  not  belong 
to  their  tribes  nor  to  the  Brahman  caste.  They  are  pur- 
chased, or  more  generally  kidnapped,  from  the  surround- 
ing districts  by  persons  called  Panwhas,  who  are  attached 
to  their  villages  for  these  and  other  peculiar  offices.  They 
may  be  either  male  or  female,  and  as  consecrated  persons 
are  treated  with  great  kindness.  To  the  "  Meriah  "  youth 
or  maiden  a  portion  of  land  is  assigned,  with  farming 
stock.  He  or  she  is  also  permitted  to  marry  and  bear  chil- 
dren, who  in  turn  become  victims.  If  a  "  Meriah  "  youth 
form  an  attachment  to  the  daughter  or  even  wife  of  a 
Khand,  the  relatives  indulge  him  in  his  wishes^ regarding 
it  as  an  especial  favor.  These  sacrifices  take  place  annu- 
ally, when  the  sun  is  in  his  highest  point  in  the  heavens. 
The  victim  is  selected  by  casting  of  lots.  The  ceremony 
lasts  three  days,  and  is  always  attended  by  a  large  con- 
course of  people  of  both  sexes.  The  first  day  of  the  ap- 
proaching sacrifice  is  spent  in  feasting,  merriment,  and 
prayers,  which  go  hand  in  hand  with  wild  revelry  of  all 
kinds.  On  the  second  morning  the  victim  who  is  to  pro- 
pitiate the  earth-goddess  is  washed,  attired  in  a  flowing 
white  robe,  and  conducted,  with  music,  beating  of  drums, 
blowing  of  horns  and  rude  reed  instruments,  to  the  sacred 
groves  preserved  for  these  rites.  Here  the  assembled  com- 
munity implore  the  earth-goddess  Tari  (called  Pennu  by 
the  Shanars  and  Davee  by  the  Rajpoots,  who  have  in 
great  measure  been  tainted  by  their  contact  with  these 
hill-tribes)  to  accept  the  sacrifice  about  to  be  offered,  and 
to  bless  their  land  with  increase  of  corn,  wine,  cattle,  and 
so  forth.  After  the  offering  up  of  prayer  the  victim, 
whether  male  or  female,  stands  up  before  the  assembly, 

*  Meriah  means  "  death-doomed,"  and  Kudatee,  "  dedicated  to  the 
god." 


148  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

draws  forth  his  glittering  knife,  and  passes  his  hand  three 
times  over  its  sharp  edge.  He  then  deliberately  steps  up 
to  the  rude  altar  of  Tari,  lays  down  his  knife  upon  it,  and, 
bowing  his  head,  worships  the  insatiable  earth-goddess; 
then  snatching  up  the  knife,  he  cries,  "  Drink  of  my  blood 
and  be  appeased,  O  Tari,"  etc.,  etc.  He  waves  it  aloft 
three  times  and  plunges  it  into  his  side.  Leaning  toward 
the  earth,  which  he  desires  to  propitiate  in  behalf  of  his 
fellow-men,  he  slowly  draws  out  the  knife,  pours  his  life- 
blood  out  upon  her  parched  and  thirsty  soil,  and  expires 
at  the  foot  of  the  dreaded  altar  raised  to  her  name.  Hon- 
ored as  no  other  creature  in  the  land,  reared  for  death,  the 
"  Meriah,'^  or  doomed  one,  exults  in  the  performance  of 
this  self-sacrifice  with  a  consciousness  of  being  a  savior  of 
the  countiy,  and  has  never  been  known  to  evade  or  escape 
the  doom  in  store  for  him. 

After  this  horrible  sacrifice  the  human  victim  is  cut 
into  small  pieces,  and  each  head  of  a  Khand  or  Gond 
family  obtains  a  shred  or  infinitesimal  portion  of  the 
body,  which  he  buries  in  his  field  to  please  the  spirit  of 
the  earth.  This  is  believed  to  aid  not  a  little  in  render- 
ing the  soil  rich  and  fertile. 

The  ThugSj  or  "  stranglers,"  are  not  unlike  the  Gonds 
in  physical  appearance  and  natural  characteristics.  They 
live  by  robbery  and  murder,  and  are  banded  together  by 
certain  vows  which  they  religiously  follow.  One  sect  of 
Thugs  are  called  Phansigars,  or  "  throttlers."  It  is  their 
practice  to  strangle  wayfarers,  whence  their  name,  and 
appropriate  such  spoils  as  may  fall  to  their  lot  in  these 
onslaughts.  Efforts  have  been  made,  through  the  British 
government,  to  put  a  stop  to  both  these  religious  atrocities 
of  the  Meriah  and  the  Thugs,  and  in  some  parts  of  the 
country  with  great  success. 

The  Jadejas  are  a  branch  of  the  great  Samma  tribe  once 


A   TEMPLE  TO  THE  SUN-GOD.  149 

so  powerful  in  Sindh ;  they  assumed  this  title  from  a  cele- 
brated chief  named  Jada.  Their  arrival  in  Guzerat  dates 
from  800  A.  D.  The  remarkable  characteristic  of  this 
tribe  is  their  systematic  murder  of  all  their  female  chil- 
dren. Another  branch  of  the  Jadejas  settled  in  Kach,  or 
Cutch.  These  differ  materially  from  their  brethren  in 
Guzerat.  They  are  half  Musulmans  and  half  Hindoos, 
believe  in  the  Kuran,  worship  Mohammedan  saints,  swear 
by  Allah,  eat,  drink,  and  smoke  with  the  followers  of  the 
Prophet.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  they  do  not  undergo 
circumcision,  and  adore  all  kinds  of  images  of  wood  and 
stone.  In  appearance  they  are  fine,  tall  men,  light-com- 
plexioned,  handsome-featured,  and  have  singularly  long 
whiskers,  which  are  often  allowed  to  come  down  to  the 
breast.  They  owe  their  good  looks  to  their  mothers,  who 
are  either  bought  or  kidnapped  from  other  tribes ;  no  fe- 
males of  their  own  are  ever  reared. 

The  Kalhis  (another  curious  tribe)  are  evidently  a  north- 
ern race ;  they  are  tall,  well-formed,  with  regular  features, 
aquiline  nose,  blue  or  gray  eyes,  and  soft  dark-brown  hair. 
The  sun  is  their  chief  deity.  On  the  Mandevan  Hills, 
near  Thau,  is  a  temple  to  the  sun,  said  to  have  been 
erected  by  the  Kalhis  on  their  first  arrival  in  Guzerat. 
In  this  temple  there  is  a  huge  image  of  the  Sun-god  with 
a  halo  round  its  head.  The  symbol  of  the  sun  with  the 
words,  "  Sri  suryagni  shakh  "  ("  the  witness  of  the  holy 
sun")  is  affixed  to  all  official  documents  and  deeds  of 
property. 

A  number  of  tribes  may  be  found  in  the  district  of 
Bilaspoor,  which  forms  the  upper  half  of  the  basin  of 
the  river  Maha-Nadi — the  Gonds,  already  mentioned,  the 
Kanwars,  Bhumias,  Bingwars,  and  Dhanwars — all  differ- 
ing among  themselves  in  physical  characteristics,  customs, 
manners,  and  certain  religious  observances.  Among  the 


150  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

Hindoos  here  are  two  tribes  which  deserve  particular 
mention — the  Chamars,  or  Chamar- wallahs,  and  the 
Pankhas.  The  former  take  their  name  from  their  deal- 
ing in  "  chamar,"  or  "  leather."  They  are  the  shoemaker 
and  leather-trading  castes  of  the  Hindoo  communities,  and 
have  always  been  held  in  great  contempt  by  the  high-class 
Brahmans  and  Hindoos.  About  sixty  years  ago  a  relig- 
ious movement  was  inaugurated  by  one  of  the  Chamars 
named  Ghasi-Dhas.  He  represented  himself  as  a  mes- 
senger from  God  sent  to  teach  men  the  unity  of  God  and 
the  equality  of  men.  He  was  the  means  of  liberating  his 
tribe  from  the  trammels  of  caste ;  he  prohibited  the  wor- 
ship of  idols  or  images,  and  enjoined  that  prayers  should 
be  offered  up  to  the  Supreme  Being,  whose  spirit  should 
be  ever  present  to  their  minds  without  any  visible  sign  or 
representation.  The  followers  of  the  new  faith  call  them- 
selves "Satmanes"  or  the  "worshippers  of  Satyan,  the 
truth."  Ghasi-Dhas  was  their  first  high 'priest;  he  died 
1850.  His  son  succeeded  him,  but  was  assassinated  by 
some  Hindoo  fanatic,  but  his  grandson  is  the  present  high 
priest  of  the  Chamars. 

The  "  Pankhas,"  or  weavers,  are  also  deists  of  a  very 
high  order ;  they  are  the  followers  of  a  religious  reformer 
named  Kahbir,  who  flourished  about  the  fifteenth  century. 
There  is  very  little  difference  between  the  Kahbir-Pank- 
has  and  the  Satmanes-Chamars  in  their  worship  and  relig- 
ion. The  .province  of  Sindh  derives  its  name  from  the 
Sanskrit  word  "Sindhu,"  "ocean  or  flood,"  which  name 
the  Aryans  of  the  Vfcdie  period  who  were  settled  about 
the  sixth  century  B.  c.  in  the  Panjaub  and  along  the  Indus 
gave  to  that  river.  In  the  third  "  Ashtaka"  and  the  sixth 
"  Adhyaya  "  there  appears  to  be  a  distinct  mention  of  the 
Indus  River  in  the  twelfth  verse,  which  runs  as  follows : 
"  Thou  hast  spread  abroad  upon  the  earth  by  thy  power 


THE   PRINCIPAL  TRIBES   OF  SINDH.  151 

the  swollen  Sinclhu  when  arrested  (on  its  course)."  *  The 
Indus  is  still  called  Siudhu  throughout  its  course  from 
Kalabagh  to  Atak ;  it  is  sometimes  locally  termed  Atak. 
From  Kalabagh  to  Bahkhar  is  the  upper  Indus,  and  from 
Bahkhar  to  the  sea  the  lower  Indus.  It  begins  to  rise  in 
March  and  falls  in  September,  but,  unlike  the  Ganges  and 
the  Mississippi,  it  does  not  submerge  its  delta  or  inundate 
the  valley  through  which  it  passes  to  any  great  extent. 
Its  floods  are  irregular  and  partial,  pouring  sometimes 
for  years  on  the  right  bank,  and  then  on  the  left,  so 
that  even  at  the  height  of  the  freshets  the  Persian  wheel 
may  be  seen  at  work  watering  the  fields  on  either  bank. 

The  principal  tribes  of  Sindh  are  the  Beluchis  and  the 
Jate,  or  Sindhis,  once  Hindoos,  but  converted  to  Islam  under 
the  Khalifs  f  of  the  house  Ommayyah.  The  Sindhis  are 
taller,  stronger,  more  robust,  and  muscular  than  the  natives 
of  India ;  they  belong  chiefly  to  the  Hanifah  sect  of  Mo- 
hammedans. Their  language  is  a  strange  mixture  of  Ara- 
bic and  Sanskrit  words,  the  noun  being  borrowed  from 
the  Sanskrit,  and  the  verb  from  the  Persian  or  Arabic 
grammar.  The  Beluchis  are  a  mountain-tribe ;  they  are 
superior  to  the  Jats  or  Siudhs,  fairer,  more  powerfully 
formed,  very  hardy,  not  deficient  in  courage  under  brave 
leaders,  and  extremely  temperate.  The  Beluchi  women 
are  remarkably  faithful  and  devoted  as  wives,  and  those 
of  the  Mari  tribe  often  follow  their  husbands  to  battle. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  Hindoos  of  Sindh  is 
that  they  have  no  outcast  tribes  among  them,  like  the 
Parwaris,  or  Pariahs,  Pasis,  and  Khandalas  of  Hindostan ; 

*  See  Introduction  to  (he  Second  Book  of  the  Riy-  Veda,  by  H.  H.  Wil- 
don,  p.  xvii. 

f  Khalif,  or  Caliph,  successor  or  vicar  of  Mohammed,  from  Khalifah, 
nn  Arabic  title  given  to  the  acknowledged  successors  of  Mohammed, 
who  were  regarded  as  invested  with  supreme  dignity  and  power  in  all 
matters  relating  to  religion  and  civil  polity. 


152  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

and  many  of  the  Musulmans  of  Sindh  are  followers  of 
Nanak*  and  Govind  his  disciple. 

Farther  north,  in  the  Afghan  districts,  numerous  warlike 
tribes  are  found.  Afghans,  properly  so  called,  distinguish 
themselves  from  the  aboriginal  populations.  The  chief 
clans  or  tribes  of  the  Afghans  are  the  Duranis,  south-west  of 
the  Afghan  plateau ;  the  Ghilzais,  the  strongest  and  most 
warlike  of  the  Afghans,  occupying  the  highlands  north  of 
Kandhar  (this  tribe  is  noted  for  its  deep-rooted  hostility 
to  foreigners,  and  especially  to  the  British);  the  Yusuf- 
zais,  north  of  Peshwar ;  and  the  Khakars,  who  are  chiefly 
the  highlanders  of  this  region.  Of  the  non- Afghan  tribes 
very  little  is  known ;  those  that  have  come  under  the 
notice  of  the  British  officers  are  no  doubt  mostly  a  mixed 
race,  descendants  of  the  Aryans  and  Turanians.  The 
purest  of  these  are  the  Parsivans,  the  Kizibashes,  the 
Hindikis,  and  the  Jats,  all  more  or  less  closely  allied  to 
the  Persians  and  Hindoos  in  language,  manners,  and  cus- 
toms. The  Eimak,  the  Hazaras,  Tajiks,  and  the  Khohis- 
tans  are  semi-nomadic  tribes — Mohammedans;  some  are 
of  the  Shiahf  and  others  of  the  Sunni  sect. 

As  a  race,  the  Afghans  are  a  very  handsome,  athletic 

*  A  Mohammedan  reformer  and  founder  of  the  Sikh  religion.  He 
preached  about  the  fourteenth  century  against  the  abuses  of  the  Mo- 
hammedan religion,  and  inaugurated  the  spiritual  worship  of  God 
alone.  One  day,  when  Nanak  lay  on  the  ground  absorbed  in  devotion, 
with  his  feet  toward  Mecca,  a  Moslem  priest,  seeing  him,  cried,  "  Base 
infidel !  how  darest  thou  turn  thy  feet  toward  the  house  of  Allah  ?  " 
Nanak  answered,  "  And  thou,  turn  them  if  thou  canst  toward  any  spot 
where  the  awful  house  of  God  is  not." 

f  The  Shiahs  and  Sunnis  are  the  two  most  important  Mohammedan 
sects.  The  Sunnis  hold  the  "  Sunnat,"  or  traditions  of  Mohammed,  as 
of  nearly  equal  authority  to  the  Kuran,  and  they  revere  equally  the 
four  successors  of  the  Prophet,  Abu-Bahkr,  Omar,  Usman,  and  Ali. 
The  Shiahs,  on  the  other  hand,  reject  the  traditions,  and  do  not  ac- 
knowledge the  successors  of  the  Prophet  as  Khalifahs. 


THE  WILD  TEIBE   OF  SHANAKS.  153 

people,  with  fair  complexion,  aquiline  nose,  and  flowing 
black,  brown,  and  sometimes  even  red,  hair,  which  the 
'men  wear  long,  falling  in  soft  curls  over  the  shoulders. 
The  women  are  beautiful,  and  often  of  fair  rosy  complex- 
ion, dark  eyes  and  hair,  which  they  wear  under  a  skull- 
cap, with  two  long  braids  falling  to  the  waist  behind, 
finished  off  with  silk  tassels.  Since  the  Mohammedan 
conquest  the  custom  of  excluding  women  from  the  society 
of  the  male  members  of  the  family  has  been  introduced 
into  Afghanistan,  and  is  now  rigidly  enforced. 

In  the  very  apex  of  India,  the  hilly  districts  of 
Southern  Madras,  are  numerous  early  races  and  tribes, 
distinct  and  peculiar  to  themselves,  of  whom  the  Tudas 
and  Cholas  are  most  worthy  of  notice.  The  former  is  as 
superior  in  type  to  the  latter  as  the  Caucasian  is  to  the 
Mongolian.  The  Tudas  are  chiefly  found  in  the  Nil- 
gherry  Hills;  they  are  tall,  athletic,  and  well-formed. 
Their  women,  though  dark,  are  singularly  pleasing  when 
young.  The  comparatively  treeless  character  of  these 
hills  indicates  that  in  former  times  large  spaces  were 
cleared  and  cultivated,  though  at  present  the  Tudas  seem 
to  prefer  roaming  about  the  hills  and  leading  a  nomadic  life. 

In  the  Dhendigal  and  neighboring  Wynadd  Hills  ap- 
pear other  tribes,  apparently  the  oldest  of  all  the  primi- 
tive races  of  India,  and  of  the  lowest  type  of  humanity. 
They  are  called  Shanars,  and  are  clothed,  if  at  all,  with 
the  bark  of  trees,  using  bows  and  arrows,  and  subsisting 
chiefly  on  roots,  wild  honey,  and  reptiles.  Short  in 
stature  and  agile  as  monkeys,  living  without  habitations 
among  trees,  they  penetrate  the  jungle  with  marvellous 
speed,  and  seem  only  a  step  removed  from  the  orang- 
outang of  Borneo  and  Sumatra.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
these  wild  people,  if  not  indigenous  to  the  soil,  occupied  at 
one  time  a  large  portion  of  this  country,  and  are  the  re- 


154  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

mains  of  that  "  monkey  race "  whom  the  first  Aryan  in- 
vaders met  with,  and  who,  with  their  leader  Hanuman, 
figure  so  largely  in  the  old  poems  as  the  allies  of  Rama 
in  his  conquest  of  Ceylon. 

Among  these  numerous  but  isolated  relics  of  aboriginal 
populations  there  is  another  and  superior  race,  divided 
into  several  distinct  nationalities,  such  as  the  Tamuls, 
Telingus,  and  Canarese,  who  people  the  greater  part  of 
Southern  India.  Nevertheless,  between  them  and  those 
still  later  Aryans  the  difference,  both  mental  and  physi- 
cal, is  plainly  seen. 

There  are  still  current  in  Southern  India  a  number  of 
languages  and  dialects,  which,  though  largely  intermixed 
with  Sanskrit  terms  in  consequence  of  Aryan  conquest 
and  civilization,  belong  to  distinct  families  of  languages. 
The  most  comprehensive  of  these  are  the  Tamul,  Telingu, 
and  Carnatic,  showing  the  existence  of  separate  nations  at 
the  time  of  the  Aryan  conquest.  The  Tamul  language 
has  no  inconsiderable  literature  of  its  own. 

The  MaJirattas,  whose  chief  seat  is  in  the  Deccan,  be- 
long to  still  another  race,  although  there  is  now  among 
them  a  larger  infusion  of  Aryan  blood  than  is  to  be  found 
farther  south  in  India. 

In  the  van  of  Aryan  imigration  settling  along  the 
plains  of  the  Ganges  from  Hurdwar  down  to  the  eastern 
frontier  of  Oude  and  the  Eaj-Mahal  Hills  were  the  Brah- 
mans,  founders  of  the  great  cities  Hastinapoora  ("abode 
of  elephants  "),  Indraspatha,  Delhi,  Canouge  on  the  Doab, 
Ayodhya  (Oude),  Benares,  and  Palibothra  (Patna).  They 
concentrated  themselves  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Ganges  val- 
ley, but  did  not  attempt  to  pass  into  Lower  Bengal,  as  may 
be  seen  to-day  by  the  physical  and  mental  inferiority  of  the 
Bengalees  to  the  populations  of  Northern  Hindostan. 

All  travellers  and  historians  agree  in  stating  that  the 


THE   HINDOO  VILLAGE-SYSTEM.  155 

early  Aryan  settlers  in  the  valley  of  the  Ganges  closely 
resembled  the  Hellenic  race  in  Greece  in  almost  every 
feature  of  their  military,  domestic,  and  social  life.  They 
were  split  up  into  a  number  of  small  states  or  commu- 
nities. The  Kshatryas,  though  originating  in  their  mili- 
tary profession,  and  not  in  a  single  family,  were  not  unlike 
the  Heraclidse,  who  became  the  royal  race  of  the  Pelo- 
ponnesus. But  in  process  of  time  these  Kshatryas  were  ab- 
sorbed into  the  Rajpoots,  who  are  supposed  to  have  arrived 
in  India  about  the  time  of  Alexander's  invasion  of  the 
Panjaub.  They  settled  where  we  find  them  to-day,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Rohilcund  and  Bundelcund,  and  shortly 
after  them  came  the  Jats,  another  branch  of  the  Indo- 
European  or  Aryan  family,  thus  completing  the  four  great 
waves  of  the  so-named  Pandya,  or  white-faced,  immigra- 
tion— the  Brahmans,  Kshatryas,  the  Rajpoots,  and  the 
Jats.  It  was  the  Brahmans  who  founded  the  celebrated 
Pandhya  kingdom,  so  called  from  their  white  skins,  and 
established  the  "  Meerassee  "  system — i.  e.  an  aristocracy  of 
equality  among  the  four  conquering  races.  They  shared 
the  land  equally  among  themselves,  and  regarded  all 
others  as  servants  or  subjects. 

In  this  primitive  village-system  the  Brahman,  or  priest 
and  poet,  the  Pundit,  or  schoolmaster,  the  Vakeel,  or 
pleader,  were  as  essential  as  food  and  drink  to  the  com- 
munity. Priest,  teacher,  and  pleader  by  virtue  of  their 
high  functions  enjoyed  peculiar  and  unquestioned  privi- 
leges :  land  free  of  all  tax  was  religiously  assigned  to 
them,  and  servants  to  cultivate  it  for  their  use  were  at- 
tached to  the  grant. 

In  each  and  every  Hindoo  village  or  town  which  has 
retained  its  old  form  the  children  even  to-day  are  able  to 
read,  write,  and  cipher.  But  wherever  the  village-system 
has  been  swept  away  by  foreign  and  other  influences  there 


156  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

the  village  school  has  also  disappeared  with  it.  A  trial 
by  jury,  called  "  punchayet,"  was  also  a  part  of  the  prim- 
itive system  of  self-government  instituted  by  the  early 
Brahmans :  each  party  named  two  or  more  arbitrators, 
and  the  judge  one;  the  jury  could  not  in  any  case  be 
composed  of  less  than  five  persons,  whence  the  name 
"punchayet" — five  just  ones.  In  difficult  cases  the  in- 
fluence of  the  heads  and  elders  of  the  village  was  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  contending  parties,  and  the  administra- 
tion of  justice  was  so  pure  in  those  days  that  the  saying 
"  In  the  punchayet  is  God "  became  proverbial. 

Out  of  these  marked  mental  and  physical  differences 
grew  up  the  monstrous  and  extraordinary  system  of  caste 
in  India.  Not  that  caste  does  not  exist  in  some  degree 
everywhere  throughout  the  world.  In  the  British  Isles  it 
is  as  fixed  and  absolute  as  a  Medo-Persic  law,  and  even 
among  Americans  a  marked  social  inequality  exists.  Caste 
naturally  sprang  up  with  the  first  mingling  of  the  con- 
quering and  conquered  races  on  Indian  soil.  At  first  the 
distinctions  of  class  and  rank  were  no  more  marked  than 
that  of  an  English  peasant  and  the  lord  of  a  domain,  or 
that  of  the  negro  girl  and  her  mistress  in  the  United 
States  to-day.  But  the  proud,  white-skinned  Brahmans, 
in  order  to  guard  the  purity  of  their  own  "  blue  blood," 
and  to  rivet  their  own  ascendency,  invented  at  length  a 
distinct  and  most  binding  code  of  laws,  and  then  claimed 
for  them  the  divine  authority  of  the  Vedas. 

Of  the  four  great  castes  that  we  read  so  much  about, 
three  only  were  fixed — Brahmans,  Kshatrvas.  and  the 
Vaisyas.  This  last  was  the  common  Aryan  people,  and 
they  were  not  separated  from  their  superiors  by  any  harsh 
distinctions.  But  the  Sudras,  "  the  threefold  black  men," 
among  whom  the  Aryan  population  established  them- 
selves, all  the  non- Aryan  races  and  tribes  of  the  peninsula 


TOKAHS,  ou  NATIVE  MERCHANTS. 


SUDRA  RULERS  AND   KINGS.  157 

of  Hindostan,  were  kept  off  by  a  wide  gulf  and  the  most 
galling  marks  of  inferiority.  The  Sudra  could  not  read 
the  Vedas  nor  join  in  their  religious  meetings.  He  could 
not  cook  their  food,  or  even  serve  in  their  houses ;  he  was 
unclean,  gross,  sensual,  irreligious,  and  therefore  an  abom- 
ination to  the  noble  white-faced  Aryan. 

The  code  of  Manu,  with  all  its  "  unparalleled  arrogance  " 
toward  the  Sudra,  was  founded  rather  upon  what  a  high- 
bred Brahman  ought  to  be  than  with  any  deliberate  intent 
to  degrade  the  Sudra.  But  with  its  practice  came  that  in- 
evitable deterioration  to  the  moral  character  of  the  Brah- 
mans  themselves,  who  forgot  that  the  humblest  man  has  a 
right  to  the  same  sanctity  of  life  and  character  as  the 
highest.  The  lower  the  Brahman  sank  in  his  spiritual 
and  moral  nature,  the  more  he  tried  to  hedge  himself 
about  with  artificial  claims  to  the  reverence  of  the  peoples 
around  him,  until  finally  the  code  of  Manu  swelled  into 
minute  details.  Reaching  the  unborn  child  of  Aryan 
parents,  it  directed  its  nursing  in  the  cradle,  it  shaped 
the  training  of  the  youth,  and  regulated  the  actions  of  his 
perfect  manhood  as  son,  husband,  and  father.  Food,  rai- 
ment, exercise,  religious  and  social  duties,  must  be  brought 
into  subjection  to  its  sovereign  voice,  and  in  the  course  of 
time  it  was  inseparably  interwoven  with  every  domestic 
usage,  every  personal  and  social  habit.  From  the  cradle 
to  the  grave  it  undertakes  to  regulate  and  control  every 
desire,  every  inclination,  every  movement,  of  the  inner 
and  outer  man.  Such  is  the  code  of  Manu. 

In  spite  of  these  laws,  however,  there  flourished  Sudra 
kings  and  Sudra  communities,  influenced  though  not  ab- 
sorbed by  the  Aryan  population.  Sudra  kings  were  invited 
to  the  court  of  the  great  Yudishthlra*  and  treated  with 

*  One  of  the  greatest  of  Aryan  kings  mentioned  in  the  Maha- 
bharata. 


158  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

marked  respect  and  courtesy ;  indeed,  this  word  "  Kiriya  " 
or  "  Kritya  "  (courtesy)  was  held  to  be  the  distinguishing 
mark  of  a  high-bred  Brahman.  The  Sudras  in  their  turn 
soon  caught  the  infection  of  caste  feeling,  and  were  not 
slow  in  adopting  the  same  distinctions  among  themselves. 

From  being  at  first  a  sign  of  superiority  of  race,  it 
gradually  took  form  and  extended  to  every  branch  and 
profession.  Priest,  teacher,  soldier,  sailor,  tinker,  tai- 
lor, robber,  murderer,  and  beggar,  was  each  one  fixed 
immovably  and  for  ever  in  his  place  and  grade,  and 
no  earthly  power  could  draw  him  into  any  other.  Every 
one  piqued  himself  on  his  particular  caste ;  each  man 
confined  himself  sternly  to  his  own  perfect  circle.  There 
was  hope  for  every  man  who  belonged  to  a  caste,  so 
that  even  those  fallen  from  caste  bound  themselves  to- 
gether in  a  brotherhood  and  called  themselves  Pariahs, 
"outcasts,"  which  in  time  became  a  large  and  distinct 
caste.  "Even  in  the  lowest  depths  they  found  a  lower 
still." 

So  monstrous  and  deteriorating  was  this  system  that  in 
the  course  of  time,  losing  sight  of  its  original  purpose,  it 
separated  the  Aryans  themselves,  for  whose  especial  pres- 
ervation and  union  it  was  designed,  by  distinctions  and 
restrictions  almost  as  galling  as  those  it  had  formerly  im- 
posed only  on  the  Sudras. 

Nevertheless,  it  had  its  noble  features,  and  did  good 
work  for  a  time.  The  high  advancement  to  which  the 
Indo-European  art,  literature,  painting,  music,  and  archi- 
tecture attained  was  due  to  the  leadership  of  the  Brah- 
man civilization.  It  was  an  aristocracy  to  rule  and  edu- 
cate the  masses,  which  everywhere  exhibited  a  uniform 
inferiority.  But  even  with  all  the  help  of  caste  and  the 
inflexible  code  of  Manu  to  preserve  them  on  every  side, 
the  proud  white-faced  Aryans  did  not  long  escape  the  de- 


DUNDOO  PUNT'S  EEVENGE.        159 

teriorating  influences  both  of  the  climate  in  which  they 
had  settled  and  the  debasing  usages  of  the  non- Aryan 
populations  around  them. 

The  most  degrading  practice  that  sprang  up  in  time  on 
Indian  soil  was  asceticism.  The  amount  and  the  terrible 
nature  of  this  self-imposed  penance  practised  by  the  Hin- 
doos exceed  anything  known  in  the  world,  and  are  almost 
inconceivable  to  any  ordinary  European,  whose  first  in- 
stinct is  self-preservation.  Ablutions  and  commands  of 
personal  cleanliness,  which  formed  a  part  of  the  code  of 
Mauu,  have  increased  in  number,  and  also  the  penalties 
attached  to  their  violation  to  such  a  degree  that  now-a-days 
a  Brahman  or  Hindoo  is  defiled  by  the  most  trifling  acci- 
dent of  place  or  touch.  To  eat  with  the  left  hand,  to 
sneeze  when  he  is  praying,  to  gape  in  the  presence  of  the 
sacrificial  fire,  to  touch  one  of  a  low  caste,  are  all  pollu- 
tions. In  fact,  the  very  shadow  of  an  Englishman  or  a 
Sudra  falling  on  his  cooking-pot  renders  it  obligatory  on 
him  to  buiy  his  meal  in  the  earth  and  to  throw  away  his 
pot  if  earthen ;  if  not,  it  must  undergo  seven  purifications 
before  it  is  in  a  sufficiently  holy  condition  to  boil  the  rice 
sacred  to  the  Brahman.  The  simple  contact  with  pig's  fat 
in  the  cartridges  made  the  sepoys,  who  believed  they  were 
thus  lost  to  caste  and  to  heaven,  willing  and  terrible  tools 
in  the  hands  of  the  arch-enemy  of  British  power  in  the 
East.  Nairn  Sahib,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  Dundoo 
Punt,  who,  in  order  to  revenge  a  private  wrong — the  lapse 
to  the  East  Indian  Company,  on  the  death  of  his  uncle 
and  royal  father  by  adoption,  of  a  large  territory  be- 
queathed to  him — worked  upon  the  caste-prejudices  of  the 
sepoys  until  he  maddened  them  into  committing  the  most 
fiendish  acts  ever  recorded  in  Indian  history.  But  the 
original  code  does  not  so  regard  the  eating  of  pork.  If  a 
Brahman  purposely  eat  pork  he  shall  be  degraded,  but  if 


160  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

he  has  partaken  of  it  involuntarily  or  through  another's 
connivance,  a  penance  and  purification  are  sufficient  for 
full  atonement. 

Thus,  injunctions  originally  designed  as  rules  of  pure 
living  and  high-breeding,  cleanliness,  abstinence,  kindli- 
ness, charity,  and  courtesy,  have  been  so  multiplied  and 
distorted  that  it  is  now  difficult  even  for  the  most  precise 
and  devout  Brahman  to  carry  them  all  faithfully  into 
practice.  And  if  Christian  teachers  and  reformers  were 
seriously  minded  to  overthrow  this  vast  system  of  caste  in 
India,  they  could  successfully  do  so  by  quoting  the  Vedas 
and  the  code  of  Manu,  which  prescribe  no  such  arbitrary 
rules  of  life  as  now  exist  in  India.  It  is  our  want  of 
knowledge,  and  that  of  most  of  the  modern  Brahmans, 
which  still  holds  them  in  their  old  fetters,  rendering  the  ef- 
forts to  free  them  of  little  avail,  for  we  know  not  how  nor 
where  to  begin  the  attack  on  such  a  strong  fortress  as  caste 
and  custom  are  to  these  blind  followers  of  law  and  order. 

Centuries  after  the  consolidation  of  the  Brahman  power 
and  system  of  caste  there  arose  a  strong-souled  Aryan,  a 
prince  by  birth,  a  republican  at  heart,  and  a  reformer  by 
nature,  called  Sakya  Suddartha,  who  no  sooner  became  of 
age  than  he  suddenly  began  to  deny  the  inspiration  of  the 
Vedas,  the  divine  right  of  Brahmans  to  the  priesthood, 
and  the  obligations  of  caste.  He  offered  equality  of  birth- 
right and  of  spiritual  office  alike  to  all  men  and  women. 
Sudra,  Pariah,  Khandala,  bond  or  free,  were  of  one  and 
the  same  great  family.  He  went  about  declaring  all  men 
brothers.  This  was  the  strong  point  of  Buddhism.  The 
new  religion  spread  at  once.  It  ravished  the  hearts  and 
kindled  the  imaginations  of  many  Aryans,  but  chiefly  the 
non-Aryan  nations.  Everywhere  it  was  received  with 
enthusiasm.  Brahmanism  and  caste  received  their  first 
great  shock,  from  which  they  have  never  wholly  recovered. 


RISE   OF   BUDDHISM   IN   INDIA.  161 

Monastic  orders  first  arose  among  the  Buddhists,  and  as 
caste  was  abolished  the  monasteries  were  open  to  all  men, 
and  even  to  women,  who  were  bound  over  to  celibacy  and 
self-renunciation.  These  Buddhist  priests  went  about 
preaching  their  new  religion  to  the  common  people,  and 
found  ready  acceptance  with  them.  Barefooted,  with 
shaven  heads,  eyebrows,  and  chins,  wearing  a  yellow  dress 
instead  of  the  pure  white  robes  of  the  Brahmans,  they 
seemed  indeed  lower  than  the  lowest  Pariahs.  They  built 
lowly  chapels,  and  had  regular  services  in  them,  chanting 
a  prescribed  liturgy,  offering  harmless  sacrifices  of  incense, 
lighted  tapers,  rice,  wine,  oil,  and  flowers,  and  taking  the 
lily  instead  of  the  Brahmanic  lotos  as  the  emblem  of  the 
purity  of  their  faith. 

Buddhism  spread  with  amazing  rapidity,  and  flourished 
for  some  time  on  Indian  soil.  During  the  reign  of  the 
celebrated  Indian  king  Asoka,  three  centuries  more  or  less 
before  Christ,  it  was  the  dominant  religion  of  India, 
about  which  time  it  was  also  introduced  by  Buddhist 
missionaries  into  Ceylon,  China,  and  the  Japanese  Archi- 
pelago. At  length,  the  Brahmans,  recovering  from  the 
lethargy  that  seemed  to  have  overtaken  them,  joined  all 
their  forces,  and,  rising  en  masse  everywhere  against  these 
dissenters  from  the  Veclas  and  from  the  old  code  of 
Manu,  drove  out  of  Hindostan  proper  those  whom  they 
could  not  put  to  death.  The  Buddhists  finally  found 
refuge  in  Guzerat  and  ready  acceptance  among  the  early 
primitive  races ;  and  here  the  new  religion  reached  its 
highest  prosperity,  but  began  to  decline  in  the  eighth  or 
ninth  century  after  Christ.  At  this  juncture  a  new  sect 
arose  under  the  leadership  of  one  Jaina,  or  saint,  a  man 
of  great  purity  of  character,  who  undertook  to  correct  the 
many  errors  which  had  crept  into  Buddhism.  Veneration 
and  worship  of  deified  men,  confined  by  the  Buddhists 
11 


162  LIFE  AND   TKAVEL,  IN   INDIA. 

some  to  five  and  others  to  seven  saints,  were  extended 
by  the  Jains  to  twenty-four,  of  whom  colossal  statues  in 
black  or  white  marble  were  set  up  in  their  temples.  Ten- 
derness and  respect  for  animal  life  they  carried  to  an  ex- 
treme point,  which  has  led  to  the  establishment  of  the 
hospitals  for  infirm  aged  animals  in  different  parts  of 
India.  In  its  essence  Jainism  agrees  with  Buddhism.  It 
rejects  the  inspiration  of  the  Vedas,  has  no  animal  sacri- 
fices, pays  no  respect  to  fire.  But  in  order  to  escape  the 
unremitting  persecution  of  the  Brahman  priesthood  it 
admits  caste,  and  even  the  worship  of  the  chief  Hindoo 
gods.  Thus  Jainism  secured  that  toleration  on  Indian 
soil  which  was  never  extended  to  Buddhism,  the  very 
birthplace  of  Buddha  having  been  rendered  a  wilderness 
and  untenanted  by  man  through  the  rage  and  fury  of 
Brahmanic  persecution. 

Brahmanjsm,  finding  itself  once  more  in  the  ascend- 
ency, proceeded  with  great  tact  to  incorporate  into  its 
ritual  all  the  divinities,  the  rites,  and  the  ceremonies 
peculiar  to  the  non-Aryan  populations.  In  Southern 
India  Vishnoo  is  worshipped  under  the  name  and  character 
of  Jaggernath  (or  Juggernaut),  "Lord  of  the  universe;" 
but  in  Northern  Hindostan  this  worship  is  mingled  with 
that  of  Rama  and  Krishna,  two  Aryan  heroes,  whom  the 
Brahmans  with  great  political  adroitness  represent  as  later 
incarnations  of  both  Vishnoo  and  Jaggernath.  The  pre- 
Aryan  Mahrattas  and  Marwhars  were  brought  to  believe 
their  supreme  deities,  Cando-ba,  and  Virabudra,  as  incar- 
nations of  Siva,  and  so  on,  until  at  length  every  god,  hero, 
or  saint  belonging  to  the  pre-historic  inhabitants  of  Asia 
found  a  place  in  the  Brahmanic  calendar  of  incarnations 
of  gods  and  goddesses. 

Monotheism  and  polytheism  exist  side  by  side ;  purity 
and  vice  are  only  different  expressions  of  a  system  as  com- 


HINDOO   HOUSE-CLEANSING.  163 

plex  as  life  itself.  Through  all  manners,  acts,  and  usages, 
the  most  trivial  or  the  most  momentous,  the  Brahman 
religion  flows  in  perpetual  symbolism  and  stamps  every- 
thing with  its  seal  and  mark.  The  pure  Hindoos  live  in 
a  network  of  observances,  the  smallest  infraction  of  which 
involves  the  most  terrible  social  degradation  and  loss  of 
caste.  They  are  bound  by  observances  for  rising,  for  sit- 
ting, for  eating,  drinking,  sleeping,  bathing;  for  birth, 
marriage,  and  death ;  for  the  sites  of  their  homes  and 
even  the  positions  of  their  doors  and  windows. 

The  dwellings  of  Hindoos  vary  according  to  their 
means.  The  poorer  have  only  one  apartment,  which 
must  be  smeared  over  once  a  week  with  a  solution  of 
the  ordure  of  the  cow.  The  better  classes  always  have  a 
courtyard  and  a  verandah,  where  strangers,  and  even 
Europeans,  may  be  received  without  risk  of  contamina- 
tion. Very  often  the  walls  of  the  dwellings  are  covered 
with  frescoes  and  paintings.  The  entrance  to  the  dwelling 
is  always  placed,  out  of  respect  to  the  sun,  facing  the 
east,  but  a  little  to  one  side.  Every  morning  at  an  early 
hour  the  Hindoo  wife  or  mother  of  the  home  may  be  seen 
cleansing  her  house  and  her  utensils  for  cooking,  eating, 
and  drinking.  This  done,  she  will  wash  or  smear  with 
cow-ordure  the  space  about  her  dwelling.  After  this  puri- 
fication the  wife  will  proceed  to  ornament  the  front  of  the 
door,  which  in  itself  is  held  sacred  to  the  Brahman,  with 
the  form  of  a  lotos-flower.  This  she  makes  out  of  a  so- 
lution of  lime  or  chalk,  and  imprints  it  on  the  door  and 
on  the  space  in  front  of  it.  This  flower  is  emblematic  of 
the  name  of  God,  too  pure  to  be  uttered,  but  supposed  to 
bestow  a  magical  charm  on  the  dwelling  on  which  it  is 
inscribed.* 

*  The  sectarian  marks  of  the  Hindoos  vary  with  their  caste  and  the 
deity  to  whom  they  attach  themselves.  The  high-caste  Brahman  makes 


164  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

No  one  is  so  scrupulous  with  regard  to  personal  neat- 
ness, purity,  and  cleanliness  as  the  true  Hindoo  woman. 
The  Hindoo  sacraments  are  ten  in  number,  with  five  daily 
duties  that  are  as  obligatory  on  the  Brahman  as  are  the 
sacraments  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  The  first 
sacrament  begins  with  the  unborn  babe ;  it  is  the  concep- 
tional  sacrament.  Attended  by  the  mother  of  a  large 
family,  the  young  wife  repairs  to  a  temple  with  a  peculiar 
cake  made  of  rice,  sugar,  and  ghee  (clarified  butter),  and 
with  a  fresh  cocoanut.  The  goddess  invoked  on  such  oc- 
casions is  Lakshina,  the  consort  of  Indra.  They  first 
offer  up  a  prayer  before  her  shrine,  meditate  on  her  glori- 
ous progeny  of  gods  and  heroes,  then  implore  her  kindly 
interposition  in  behalf  of  the  young  woman  who  is  to 
become  a  mother ;  after  which  the  elder  matron  breaks  the 
cocoanut  and  pours  the  liquid  out  as  an  offering  to  the 
goddess,  and  part  of  the  cake  and  cocoanut  is  brought 
home  and  distributed  among  the  members  of  the  family. 

The  next  ceremony  is  a  very  profound  one,  and  has  an 
especial  reference  to  the  quickening  of  life  in  the  babe. 

only  a  circular  mark  with  a  little  sacred  mud  of  the  Ganges,  and  mixed 
with  water,  on  his  forehead.  This  is  symbolic  of  the  mystic  word  "  Aum." 
The  followers  of  Vishnoo,  a  second  grade  of  Brahmans,  use  a  species 
of  clay  brought  from  a  pool,  Dhwaiaka,  in  which  the  seven  shepherd- 
esses, who  are  always  represented  with  Krishna,  are  supposed  to  have 
drowned  themselves  on  hearing  of  the  death  of  their  favorite  hero. 
This  mark  is  a  circle  with  a  straight  line  passing  through,  symbolizing 
the  regenerative  powers  of  nature.  The  Mahadeo  sect  wear  two  straight 
lines  on  the  brow ;  the  one  on  the  right  stands  for  God,  the  one  on  the 
left  for  man,  a  transverse  streak  of  red  lime :  a  preparation  of  turmeric 
and  lime  is  used  ;  it  means  God  and  man  united.  A  great  many  wear 
the  mark  of  Vishnoo's  weapon  with  which  he  is  supposed  to  have 
killed  the  searmonster  to  rescue  from  destruction  the  three  Vfidas.  The 
followers  of  Siva,  one  of  the  four  great  sects  of  Hindoos,  wear  a  com- 
plex mark  of  circle  and  cross  combined,  made  with  the  ashes  of  burnt 
cow-ordure,  symbolizing  the  destruction  of  all  sin  and  the  beatitude  in 
store  for  the  pure  and  holy. 


HINDOO   BIETH-CEEEMONIES.  165 

The  mother,  shrouded  in  pure  white  from  head  to  foot, 
accompanied  by  an  elder  female  and  mother  of  a  large 
family,  with  her  husband  and  father  repair  to  the  temple. 
One  or  more  Brahman  priests  are  invited  to  preside  on 
this  occasion.  Oil,  flowers,  and  lighted  tapers  are  offered 
to  Maliadeo  the  Great  God.  The  priest  pours  the  oil 
presented  on  a  lighted  lamp,  then  performs  a  wave-offer- 
ing over  the  head  of  the  expectant  mother,  praying,  "  O 
thou  who  art  light,  thou  art  also  life  and  seed.  Accept 
our  sacrifice  and  make  the  new  life  thou  hast  created  in 
secret  visible  in  beauty  and  strength  and  power  of  intel- 
lect." After  which  offerings  according  to  the  wealth  of 
the  parties  are  made  to  the  priests.  There  is  one  more 
important  ceremony,  similar  in  character  to  the  others. 
All  these  sacraments  are  performed  only  in  the  case  of  the 
first  child. 

The  birth  ceremony  takes  place  on  the  birth  of  every 
child.  On  this  occasion  a  Brahman  priest  and  an  astrol- 
oger are  invited.  The  mother  of  a  large  family  and  the 
grandmother  are  generally  present.  Before  dividing  the 
umbilical  cord  fire  is  waved  over  the  child,  a  drop  of 
honey  and  butter  out  of  a  golden  spoon  is  put  on  his  lips, 
after  which  the  cord  is  severed.  This  is  a  very  sacred 
ceremony,  called  "  Jahu  Karan  "  ("  introduction  to  life  "), 
and  is  performed  with  prayer,  indicating  that  as  the 
child's  life  is  now  severed  from  the  parent  life,  so  is  all 
life  at  some  time  or  other  parted  from  the  Central  Life, 
but  yet  dependent  on  that  as  the  infant  is  on  the  tender 
care  of  a  mother.  The  father  then  draws  near  and  looks 
upon  the  face  of  his  son  or  daughter  for  the  first  time,  at 
which  he  must  take  a  piece  of  gold  in  his  hand,  offer  a 
sacrifice  to  Brahma,  and  anoint  the  forehead  of  the  child 
with  ghee  which  has  first  been  presented  to  Brahma.  A 
string  of  nine  threads  of  cotton,  with  five  blades  of  durba- 


166  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

grass,  must  be  bound  by  the  father  round  the  wrist  of  the 
child,  indicating  that  the  life  matured  by  nine  months  is 
to  be  made  perfect  by  the  five  daily  sacraments  or  duties. 
This  done,  the  astrologer  casts  the  horoscope  of  the  child, 
which  is  carefully  written  down,  whether  good  or  evil, 
and  is  confided  to  the  father.  This  paper  is  generally 
burned  with  the  person  at  death. 

When  the  infant  is  a  month  old,  and  the  new  moon  is 
first  seen,  he  is  presented  to  it  as  his  progenitor  with  a 
solemn  prayer.  After  which  the  naming  takes  place. 
The  child's  nearest  relatives  are  invited.  A  Brahman 
priest  waves  over  it  a  lamp,  then  sprinkles  holy  water, 
and  calls  aloud  its  name  as  he  anoints  the  ears,  eyes,  nose, 
and  breast  of  the  child  with  clarified  butter.  This  done, 
a  little  dress  prepared  for  the  child  is  put  on  for  the  first 
time. 

When  the  teeth  begin  to  appear  a  grand  religious  ser- 
vice takes  place,  and  its  first  food  of  milk  and  rice  is 
given  to  it  after  it  has  been  consecrated  by  the  priest.  At 
three  years  of  age  the  prescribed  religious  ceremony  con- 
nected with  the  shaving  off  of  the  boy's  hair  takes  place, 
and  the  consecration  of  the  single  lock  left  on  the  top  of 
the  head.  Next  comes  the  investiture  of  the  sacred 
thread,  performed  only  in  the  case  of  the  male  child. 

Between  the  ages  of  fourteen  and  sixteen  the  youth 
formally  presents  himself  before  the  temple  to  be  ad- 
mitted to  the  order  to  which  he  belongs.  He  is  placed 
on  a  stone  near  a  sacred  tank  in  the  precincts  of  a  Hindoo 
temple ;  he  is  then  washed  in  pure  water  by  the  priests 
robed  in  spotless  white  garments ;  the  holy  "  Gayatri "  is 
repeated  in  his  right  ear  by  one  priest,  while  the  other 
breathes  over  him  the  mystic  trisyllable  of  "  Aum,  Aum, 
Aum,"  after  which  he  is  invested  with  a  new  sacred 
thread. 


HINDOO   MARRIAGE- CEREMONY.  167 

Marriage  is  also  a  sacrament.  The  male  may  be  mar- 
ried at  any  time  after  the  "  mung,"  or  investiture  of  the 
sacred  thread;  the  time  for  this  ceremony  varies  among 
the  different  castes.  The  female,  however,  must  not  be 
under  ten  years  of  age,  and  as  she  is  obliged  to  be  several 
years  younger  than  the  male,  he  is  generally  from  sixteen 
to  eighteen  at  the  time  of  marriage. 

Particular  rules  are  laid  down  to  be  observed  in  the 
choice  of  a  wife.  She  must  not  have  any  physical  or 
moral  defects ;  she  must  have  an  agreeable  voice,  sweet- 
sounding  name,  graceful  proportions,  elegant  movements, 
fine  teeth,  hair,  and  eyes.  Deformity  inherited  or  consti- 
tutional delicacy,  or  disease  of  any  kind,  weak  eyes,  im- 
perfect digestion,  an  inauspicious  name,  or  lack  of  re- 
spectable lineage,  always  operate  as  strong  impediments  to 
marriage.  Once  the  choice  is  made  by  the  parents,  then 
the  particular  months  and  junctions  of  the  planets  are 
consulted  by  the  josh  is  or  Hindoo  astrologers:  the  birth- 
papers  of  both  parties  are  first  examined,  followed  by  a 
profound  study  of  the  stars,  which  sometimes  takes  a  year 
to  be  completed,  after  which  a  writing  called  the  Lagan- 
patrika  is  prepared,  in  which  the  day,  the  hour,  the  names 
of  the  parties,  and  the  position  of  the  planets  are  put 
down,  and  one  of  the  eight  different  kinds  of  marriages 
mentioned  in  the  Shastras  prescribed  as  the  most  fitting  in 
view  of  the  astral  relations  of  husband  and  wife.  These 
eight  different  kinds  of  marriages,  however,  are  more  or 
less  similar,  and  vary  only  when  the  different  castes  inter- 
marry one  with  the  other.  This  intermarriage  is  always 
attended  with  loss  of  caste.  The  ceremony  observed  by 
the  Brah manic  caste  is  the  most  interesting,  and  is  called 
" Brahma"  from  the  sacredness  attached  to  the  rite.  The 
bridegroom  is  obliged  to  prepare  himself  by  certain 
prayers  and  ablutions  before  he  can  be  presented  to  his 


168  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

future  wife,  whom  he  often  sees  for  the  first  time,  but  of 
whose  charms,  graces  of  person,  and  character  he  is  fully 
informed  beforehand.  Robed  in  pure  white,  anointed 
with  holy  oil,  and  wearing  garlands  of  fresh  flowers  around 
his  neck,  he  goes  in  procession,  accompanied  by  his  friends 
and  relatives,  to  the  bride's  house,  where  he  and  his 
friends  are  welcomed  as  guests  by  the  bride's  father.  The 
future  wife  is  allowed  to  appear,  and  is  generally  veiled, 
so  that  even  then  the  young  couple  do  not  see  very  much 
of  each  other. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  day  appointed  for  the  wedding 
company  to  assemble  at  the  house  of  the  bride's  father  a 
raised  platform  is  placed  at  one  end  of  the  hall ;  here  the 
bridegroom  takes  his  place,  surrounded  by  the  priests. 
Presently  the  bride  enters  the  room  accompanied  by  her 
father,  who  does  homage  to  his  future  son  and  places  his 
daughter  at  his  right  hand.  After  this  a  young  priest 
enters  bearing  a  large  censer  containing  a  charcoal  fire, 
which  is  placed  at  their  feet,  and  is  emblematic  of  their 
warm  affection.  Two  priests  stand  before  them  holding 
each  a  lighted  torch  in  his  hands,  reciting  some  very  beau- 
tiful prayers ;  meanwhile  the  bride  rises  and  treads  three 
times  on  a  stone  and  mutter  *  placed  beside  her,  and  which 
is  meant  to  indicate  that  the  cares  and  duties  she  is  now 
about  to  assume  as  a  married  woman  will  be  carefully  ob- 
served. The  bridegroom  then  makes  an  oblation  of  oil 
and  frankincense  to  the  fire,  as  typical  of  his  gratitude  to 
the  gods  for  the  blessing  which  is  now  about  to  crown  his 
life;  this  done,  the  priest  hands  him  a  torch,  which  he 
takes  and  waves  three  times  around  the  person  of  his 
bride,  signifying  that  his  love  will  always  surround  and 
brighten  her  existence ;  he  then  drops  it  into  the  pan  or 
censer  at  their  feet.  The  bride  now  scatters  a  handful  of 
*  A  mill  or  grinder,  used  for  grinding  rice  and  wheat. 


CEREMONIES  ATTENDING  DEATH.  169 

rice  and  a  little  oil  as  an  oblation  to  the  gods.  The  chant 
having  ceased,  the  father  steps  up,  and,  taking  a  new  up- 
per and  a  lower  garment,  clothes  the  person  of  his  daugh- 
ter ;  he  then  fastens  the  end  of  her  dress  to  the  skirts  of 
her  lover's  robe,  and,  taking  the  bride's  hand,  he  places  it 
in  that  of  the  bridegroom,  binding  them  together  with  a 
mystic  cord  which  is  made  of  their  sacred  grass,  typifying 
the  delicacy  of  the  marriage-tie,  the  strength  and  solidity 
of  which  depends  not  so  much  on  the  fragile  cord  which 
binds  them,  as  on  the  individual  will  and  resolution  not 
to  break  it  asunder.  Then,  conducted  by  the  bridegroom, 
the  young  bride  steps  seven  times  around  the  sacred  fire, 
repeating  the  marriage  vows,  the  priests  chant  the  nuptial 
hymn,  and  the  marriage  is  consummated. 

Every  act  of  the  Brahmanic  ritual  is  symbolic.  Thus 
in  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  after  sunset,  the  bride- 
groom sees  his  blushing  little  bride  alone  for  the  first 
time ;  he  takes  her  by  the  hand,  seats  her  on  a  bull's  hide, 
which  in  its  turn  is  symbolic  of  several  spiritual  and  phys- 
ical facts,  one  of  which  points  to  his  power  to  support 
and  protect  her.  Seated  side  by  side,  they  quietly  watch 
the .  rising  of  the  polar  star ;  pointing  it  out  to  her,  he  re- 
peats, "  Let  us  be  steady,  stable,  serene,  for  ever  abiding  in 
each  other's  love,  as  that  immovable  and  deathless  star." 
Having  sat  in  silent  contemplation,  they  partake  of  their 
first  meal  together.  The  bridegroom  remains  three  days 
at  the  house  of  the  bride's  father ;  on  the  fourth  day  he 
conducts  his  wife  to  his  own,  or,  as  it  sometimes  happens, 
to  his  father's  house,  in  solemn  procession.  The  Hindoo 
women  are  remarkably  devoted  as  wives  and  mothers: 
instances  of  conjugal  infidelity  among  the  high  caste  are 
unknown,  and  extremely  rare  even  among  the  lower  castes 
of  the  Hindoo  women. 

The  ceremonies  attending  the  dead  are  worthy  of  brief 


170  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

notice  here.  The  last  moments  of  a  Brahman  are  gener- 
ally made  very  impressive  by  the  prayers  and  recitations 
that  take  place  around  his  dying  pillow,  the  chief  aim  of 
which  is  to  concentrate  the  thoughts  of  the  departing  soul 
on  the  fact  that  life  is  the  master  of  death.  "  The  sun 
rises  out  of  life  and  sets  into  life ;  so  does  the  soul  of  a 
pure  Brahman.  Life  sways  to-day,  and  it  will  sway  to- 
morrow, O  Brahman  !  Life  is  immortal ;  death  but  con- 
ceals the  fact  as  the  garment  covers  the  body.  Hasten,  O 
soul,  to  the  Unseen,  for  unseen  he  sees,  unheard  he  hears, 
unknown  he  knows.  As  by  footprints  one  finds  cattle,  so 
may  thy  soul,  O  Sadhwan  (pure  one),  find  the  indestruc- 
tible Soul,"  etc.,  etc. 

The  moment  life  is  fled  the  high  priest  bends  over  the 
corpse  with  his  hands  folded  on  his  breast  and  repeats  a 
prayer.  After  which  the  near  female  relatives  indulge  in 
the  most  dismal  howls  and  shrieks  as  expressions  of  their 
grief  and  lamentation.  The  body  is  then  bathed  by  the 
priests,  perfumed,  decked  with  flowers,  and  placed  on  a 
temporary  bier  or  litter.  This  is  borne  along  through  the 
chief  thoroughfares,  preceded  by  men  who  carpet  with  cer- 
tain pieces  of  cloth  the  entire  way ;  women  follow,  howling 
and  weeping  and  casting  dust  on  their  heads.  The  funeral 
pyre,  formed  of  dried  wood,  is  three  or  four  feet  high  and 
over  six  feet  long ;  the  corpse  is  laid  on  it,  and  over  it  is 
poured  oil,  clarified  butter,  and  flowers  made  of  fragrant 
woods.  The  priests  stand  around,  sprinkle  the  body  with 
holy  water,  and  repeat  a  number  of  prayers  which  very 
clearly  point  to  the  mystery  which  enfolds  all  animate 
and  inanimate  life,  within  and  without,  and  express  earn- 
est hopes  that  the  body  now  about  to  be  consumed  may 
not  draw  down  the  soul  to  enter  another  body  again.  The 
nearest  relative  then  applies  the  fire  and  the  body  is  con- 
sumed. They  who  watch  the  fire  repeat  to  themselves 


'SHRADA,   OR  HINDOO   MASS.  171 

long  passages  from  the  Shastras  and  the  Puranas  on  the 
vanity  of  human  life  and  the  deathless  nature  of  the  soul, 
after  which  they  purify  themselves  before  returning  home. 
Eleven  days  after  death  the  Shrada,  or  purificatory  cere- 
monies, are  performed  by  the  heir,  and  in  his  absence  the 
next  nearest  relative ;  then  every  month  for  a  year,  and 
•  lastly  on  the  anniversary  of  his  death. 

Brahmans  are  held  unclean  for  ten  days  after  the  death 
of  a  relative,  the  military  caste  for  twelve,  the  mercantile 
for  fifteen,  and  the  Sudra  for  thirty.  Among  the  Hin- 
doos the  body  is  burnt,  except  only  in  case  of  infants 
under  two  years,  when  it  is  buried.  The  "  Shrada  "  is  a 
ceremony  very  much  like  mass  performed  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  for  the  souls  of  the  dead  who  are  in 
purgatory.  Prayers  are  offered  by  the  high  priest  and 
the  nearest  relatives,  accompanied  with  gifts  and  offerings 
of  rice,  flowers,  oil,  and  water,  in  order  to  free  the  deceased 
soul  from  a  purificatory  abode  in  which  it  is  held,  and  to 
enable  it  to  ascend  to  the  heaven  where  its  progenitors  are 
thought  to  be  united  to  the  universal  Soul. 

The  worship  of  the  Brahmans  and  the  high-caste  Hin- 
doos, though  complicated  by  trivialities,  is  in  its  essence 
very  simple  and  pure.  The  Brahmans  do  not  themselves 
worship  the  idols  in  the  temples,  although  they  encourage 
the  inferior  castes  and  races  to  do  so.  Every  act  of  a 
Brahman's  life  is  stamped  with  a  religious  character,  even 
as  every  breath  that  he  draws  is  held  to  be  a  part  of  that 
"  Divine  Soul "  that  exists  in  the  heart  of  all  beings. 

As  the  Brahman  priests  accommodated  their  religious 
beliefs  to  suit  the  popular  mind,  so  have  the  Roman 
Catholic  missionaries  and  priests  effected  a  compromise 
between  Hindooism  and  Christianity  in  India,  and  East- 
ern Christianity  has  assumed  features  as  foreign  to  the 
sublime  teachings  of  Christ  as  demon-  and  serpent-wor- 


172  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

ship  are  foreign  to  the  pure  and  natural  religion  of  the 
Vedas. 

It  is  only  by  examining  the  existences  of  all  the  differ- 
ent races  and  layers  of  populations,  and  the  mingling  of  so 
many  and  such  conflicting  religions,  that  we  can  rightly 
understand  the  India  of  to-day  with  her  hydra-headed 
creeds,  dogmas,  and  castes. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

A  Visit  to  the  House  of  Baboo  Ram  Chunder. — His  Wife. — Rajpoot 
Wrestlers. — Nautchnees,  or  Hindoo  Ballet-Girls. — A  Hindoo  Drama. 
— Visit  to  a  Nautchnees'  School. — Bayahdiers,  or  Dancing-Girls, 
attached  to  the  Hindoo  Temples.— Profession,  Education,  Dress,  Cha- 
racter, Fate  in  Old  Age  and  after  Death. — Cusbans,  or  Common  Wo- 
men.— Marked  Differences  between  these  three  Classes  of  Public 
Women. 

AMONG  the  most  interesting  of  the  rich  Hindoos  whose 
acquaintance  we  made  during  our  long  residence  in  Bom- 
bay was  one  Baboo  Ram  Chunder.  A  wealthy  gentle- 
man, educated  in  all  the  learning  of  the  East  as  well  as 
in  English,  possessing  quite  an  appreciative  intelligence 
on  most  English  topics,  but  nevertheless  a  pure  Hindoo 
in  mind  and  character,  clinging  with  peculiar  affection  to 
the  manners,  customs,  and  religion  of  his  forefathers,  and 
struggling  to  the  last  degree  to  counteract  the  vulgar  and 
popular  superstitions  of  modern  Brahmanism,  though  not 
a  member  of  the  Brahmo-Somaj,*  he  left  nothing  undone 

*  A  new  school  of  the  Brahmanic  order — "  Brahmo-Somaj,"  mean- 
ing an  assembly  in  the  name  of  God.  This  Church  has  connected 
itself  with  every  progressive  movement  in  India.  The  originator  of 
this  social  and  religious  movement  was  Rajah  Rammahun  Roy,  a 
very  learned  man.  In  1818  he  published,  for  the  benefit  of  his  own 
countrymen,  selections  from  the  teachings  of  Jesus,  taken  from  the 
Gospels,  in  Sanskrit  and  Bengali,  calling  the  book  "  The  Precepts  of 
Jesus,  the  Guide  to  Peace  and  Happiness."  He  died  and  was  buried 
in  England  in  1833.  Rammahun  Roy  built  a  church  in  Calcutta, 
where  the  Brahmo-Somaj  still  hold  their  worship.  The  members 
belonging  to  this  new  school  of  religious  thought  are  estimated  at 

173 


174  LIFE  AND  TEAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

to  revive  the  pure  and  simple  teachings  of  the  V£das.  It 
was  his  custom  to  give  every  year  a  grand  entertainment 
at  his  residence,  to  which  he  occasionally  invited  his  Euro- 
pean friends. 

One  morning  Ram  Chunder  called  in  person  at  the 
"Aviary  "  to  invite  us  to  one  of  these  to  take  place  on 
the  following  evening,  and  promised  me  if  I  would  be 
present  not  only  a  rare  treat  in  the  performance  of  a 
newly-arranged  Hindoo  drama  from  the  poem  of  "  Nalopa- 
kyanama,"  but  also  an  introduction  to  his  wife  and  child. 

Ram  Chunder's  house,  though  not  far  from  the  vicinity 
of  the  Bhendee  Bazaar,  stood  apart,  surrounded  by  a  well- 
built  wall.  The  building  was  a  large  white-stuccoed  dwell- 
ing decorated  with  rich  carvings.  There  were  two  courts 
— an  inner  and  outer  court.  We  were  received  by  a  num- 
ber of  richly-attired  attendants,  and  conducted  through 
several  dimly-iighted  passages  into  a  spacious  apartment. 
It  was  a  circular  hall  or  pavilion  with  a  fountain,  and  a 
garden  with  gravel-walks  and  a  large  area  in  the  centre. 
The  pavilion  itself  was  decorated  in  the  Oriental  style, 
hung  with  kinkaub  (or  gold-wrought)  curtains  and  pea- 
cocks' feathers ;  the  floors  were  inlaid  with  mosaics  of 
brilliant  colors ;  the  roof  and  pillars  were  decorated  with 
rich  gold  mouldings;  and  the  whole  would  have  been 
very  Affective  but  for  the  melange  of  European  ornaments 
that  were  disposed  around  on  the  walls,  tables,  and  shelves 
— clocks,  antique  pictures,  statues,  celestial  and  terrestrial 
globes,  and  a  profusion  of  common  glassware  of  the  most 
brilliant  colors. 

ten  thousand.  The  women  have  a  separate  prayer-meeting  from  the 
men.  Their  form  of  worship  is  very  simple — singing  of  hymns  adapted 
from  the  Vedas  or  from  the  Brahmanasu,  or  Brahman  Aspirations,  the 
Christian  Bible,  and  extempore  prayer,  followed  by  an  exhortation  on 
morality  and  purity  of  thought  and  character.  The  late  Mr.  Keshub 
Chunder  Sen  was  everywhere  recognized  as  their  chief  leader. 


A  HINDOO   GENTLEMAN.  175 

Ram  Chunder,  a  young  man  not  over  thirty,  with  re- 
markably courteous  manners,  with  that  refinement  and 
delicacy  which  are  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  a 
high-bred  Hindoo,  rose  and  bowed  before  us,  touching  his 
forehead  with  his  folded  hands,  and  then  placed  us  on  his 
right  hand.  In  person  he  was  rather  stout,  with  pecu- 
liarly fine  eyes  and  a  benevolent  expression  of  counte- 
nance, though  he  was  darker  in  complexion  than  most  of 
the  Brahmans.  His  dress  on  this  occasion  was  unusually 
rich  and  strikingly  picturesque.  He  wore  trousers  of  a 
deep  crimson  satin ;  over  this  a  long  white  musliu  "  an- 
graka,"  or  tunic,  reaching  almost  to  the  knees ;  over  this 
again  he  wore  a  short  vest  of  purple  velvet  embroidered 
with  gold  braid.  A  scarf  of  finest  cashmere  was  bound 
around  his  waist,  in  the  folds  of  which  there  shone  the 
jewelled  hilt  of  a  dagger.  On  his  head  was  a  white  tur- 
ban of  stupendous  size  encircled  with  a  string  of  large 
pearls;  on  his  feet  were  European  stockings  and  a  pair 
of  antique  Indian  slippers  embroidered  with  many-colored 
silks  and  fine  seed-pearls. 

Thus  attired,  he  was  a  gorgeous  figure,  and,  like  a  true 
high-born  Hindoo,  he  sat  quietly  in  his  place,  except  that 
every  now  and  then  he  rose  and  bowed  with  folded  hands 
to  each  guest  as  he  entered  and  pointed  out  their  places, 
reseating  himself  quietly  and  simply.  There  was  no  sign 
of  bustle  or  expectation,  nor  any  conversation  to  speak  of. 
In  course  of  the  evening  about  twenty  native  and  two  or 
three  European  gentlemen  were  assembled  in  the  pavil- 
ion. The  Europeans  were  on  the  right,  the  native  gen- 
tlemen on  the  left,  and  Ram  Chunder  in  the  middle.  No 
native  ladies  were  visible,  but  from  the  sounds  of  female 
voices  behind  the  curtain  it  was  evident  they  were  not 
far  off. 

Richly-dressed  native  pages,  stationed  at  the  back  of 


176  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

each  guest,  waved  to  and  fro  perfumed  punkahs  of  pea- 
cock and  ostrich  feathers.  After  the  usual  ceremony  of 
passing  around  to  the  guests  sherbet  in  golden  cups  and 
•"  paun  suparee,"  or  betel-leaf  and  the  areca-nut  done  up 
in  gold-leaf,  the  performance  began. 

A  herald  dressed  like  a  Hindoo  angel,  with  wings,  tail, 
and  beak  of  a  bird  and  the  body  of  a  young  boy,  an- 
nounced with  a  peculiar  cry,  half  natural  and  half  bird- 
like,  the  presence  of  the  Rajpoot  athletes ;  and  in  stepped 
some  ten  men,  their  daggers  gleaming  in  the  dim  light  of 
the  pavilion,  which  flickered  on  the  gravelled  space  in 
front  and  barely  lighted  the  surrounding  garden,  in  the 
centre  of  which  stood  a  fountain.  The  Rajpoots  were  in 
the  prime  of  life,  displaying  great  symmetry  of  form  and 
development  of  muscular  power.  Their  heads  were  close- 
ly shaven,  with  the  exception  of  a  long  lock  of  hair  bound 
in  a  knot  at  the  top  of  their  heads ;  their  dress  consisted 
of  a  pair  of  red  silk  drawers  descending  halfway  to  the 
knee  and  bound  tightly  around  the  waist  with  a  scarf  of 
many  colors. 

The  wrestlers  advanced,  performing  a  sort  of  war- 
dance  ;  they  disposed  of  their  daggers  by  putting  them  in 
their  topknots;  they  then  salaamed  before  the  audience 
and  began  the  contest.  Each  slapped  violently  the  inside 
of  his  arms  and  thighs;  then,  at  a  given  signal,  each 
seized  his  opponent  by  the  waist.  One  placed  his  fore- 
head against  the  other's  breast;  they  then  struggled, 
twisted,  and  tossed  each  other  about,  showing  great  skill 
and  adroitness  in  keeping  their  feet  and  warding  off  blows. 
Suddenly,  with  a  peculiar  jerk,  one  of  the  wrestlers  almost 
at  the  same  moment  dashed  his  opponent  to  the  ground, 
and  drawing  forth  his  dagger  stood  flourishing  it  over  the 
fallen  victim.  At  this  juncture  a  strain  of  music  wild 
but  tender  swept  from  the  farther  end  of  the  pavilion, 


NAUTCHNEES,   OR  DANCING-GIRLS.  177 

seemingly  given  forth  to  arrest  the  premeditated  thrust  of 
the  exultant  victor. 

They  listen  with  heads  slightly  turned  to  one  side; 
presently  their  grim,  bloodthirsty  expressions  give  place 
to  looks  of  delight  and  wonder.  All  at  once  their  faces 
break  into  smiles ;  simultaneously  they  drop  their  uplifted 
daggers,  release  their  knees  from  the  breasts  of  their  pros- 
trate foes,  stoop,  and,  taking  a  little  earth  from  the  grav- 
elled walk,  scatter  it  over  their  heads  as  a  sign  that  the 
victor  himself  is  vanquished,  salaam  to  the  spectators,  and 
retire  amid  deafening  shouts  of  applause. 

After  this  the  musicians  struck  up  some  lively  Hindoo 
airs,  and  at  length  the  heavy  curtains  from  one  side  of 
the  pavilion  curled  up  like  a  lotus-flower  at  sunset,  and 
there  appeared  a  long  line  of  girls  advancing  in  a  meas- 
ured step  and  keeping  time  to  the  music.  They  stood  on 
a  platform  almost  facing  us.  Some  of  them  were  extra- 
ordinarily beautiful,  one  girl  in  particular.  The  face  was 
of  the  purest  oval,  the  features  regular,  the  eyes  large, 
dark,  and  almond-shaped,  the  complexion  pale  olive,  with 
a  slight  blush  of  the  most  delicate  pink  on  the  cheeks, 
and  the  mouth  was  half  pouting  and  almost  infantile  in 
its  round  curves,  but  with  an  expression  of  dejection  and 
sorrow  lingering  about  the  corners  which  told  better  than 
words  of  weariness  of  the  life  to  which  she  was  doomed. 
For  my  part,  it  was  difficult  for  me  to  remove  my  eyes 
from  that  pensive  and  beautiful  face.  Every  now  and 
then  I  found  myself  trying  to  picture  her  strange  life, 
wondering  who  she  was  and  how  her  parents  could  ever 
have  had  the  heart  to  doom  her  to  such  a  profession. 

The  Xautchnees,  or  dancing-girls,  of  whom  there  were 

no  less  than  eighteen,  were  all  dressed  in  that  exquisite 

Oriental  costume  peculiar  to  them,  each  one  in  a  different 

shade  or  in  distinct  colors,  but  so  carefully  chosen  that  this 

12 


178  LIFE  AND  TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

mass  of  color  harmonized  with  wonderful  effect.  First, 
'they  wore  bright-colored  silk  vests  and  drawers  that  fitted 
tightly  to  the  body  and  revealed  a  part  of  the  neck,  arms, 
and  legs ;  a  full,  transparent  petticoat  attached  low  down 
almost  on  the  hips,  leaving  an  uncovered  margin  all 
around  the  form  from  the  waist  of  the  bodice  to  where 
the  skirt  was  secured  on  the  hips;  over  this  a  saree  of 
some  gauze-like  texture  bound  lightly  over  the  whole 
person,  the  whole  so  draped  as  to  encircle  the  figure  like  a 
halo  at  every  point,  and,  finally,  thrown  over  the  head  and 
drooping  over  the  face  in  a  most  bewitching  veil.  The 
hair  was  combed  smoothly  back  and  tied  in  a  knot  behind, 
while  on  the  forehead,  ears,  neck,  arms,  wrists,  ankles,  and 
toes  were  a  profusion  of  dazzling  ornaments. 

With  head  modestly  inclined,  downcast  eyes,  and  clasped 
hands  they  stood  silent  for  some  little  time,  in  strong  re- 
lief against  a  wall  fretted  with  fantastic  Oriental  carvings. 
The  herald  again  gave  the  signal  for  the  music  to  strike 
up.  A  burst  of  wild  Oriental  melody  flooded  the  pa- 
vilion, and  all  at  once  the  Nautchnees  started  to  their  feet. 
Poised  on  tiptoe,  with  arms  raised  aloft  over  their  heads, 
they  began  to  whirl  and  float  and  glide  about  in  a  maze 
of  rhythmic  movement,  fluttering  and  quivering  and 
waving  before  us  like  aspen-leaves  moved  by  a  strong 
breeze.  It  must  have  cost  them  years  of  labor  to  have 
arrived  at  such  ease  and  precision  of  movement.  The 
dance  was  a  miracle  of  art,  and  all  the  more  fascinating 
because  of  the  rare  beauty  of  the  performers. 

Then  came  the  cup-dance,  which  was  performed  by  the 
lovely  girl  who  had  so  captivated  my  fancy.  She  ad- 
vanced with  slow  and  solemn  step  to  the  centre  of  the 
platform,  and,  taking  up  a  tier  of  four  or  five  cups  fitting 
close  into  one  another,  she  placed  this  tier  on  her  head 
and  immediately  began  to  move  her  arms,  head,  and  feet 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  NAUTCHNEE. 


THE   CUP-DANCE.  179 

in  such  gently  undulating  waves  that  one  imagined  the 
cups,  which  were  all  the  time  balanced  on  her  head,  were 
floating  about  her  person,  and  seemingly  everywhere  ex- 
cept where  she  so  dextrously  poised  and  maintained  them. 
This  dance  was  concluded  by  a  cup  being  filled  with 
sherbet  and  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  platform.  Re- 
moving the  cups  from  her  head,  the  dancer,  her  eyes 
glowing,  her  breast  heaving,  swept  toward  the  filled  cup 
as  if  drawn  to  it  by  some  spell,  round  and  round,  now 
approaching,  now  retreating,  till  finally,  as  if  unable  to 
resist  the  enchantment,  she  gave  one  long  sweep  around  it, 
and,  clasping  her  arms  tightly  behind  her,  lay  full  length 
on  the  pavement,  and  taking  up  with  her  lips  the  brim- 
ming cup  drained  its  contents  without  spilling  a  drop. 
Then,  putting  it  down  empty,  she  rose  with  the  utmost 
grace  and  bowed  her  head  before  us,  her  arms  still  firmly 
clasped  behind  her.  The  grace,  beauty,  and  elegance  of 
her  movements  were  incomparable ;  the  spectators  were 
too  deeply  interested  even  to  applaud  her.  She  retired 
amid  a  profound  and  significant  silence  to  her  place. 

Presently  a  tall,  slim,  graceful  girl  took  her  place  on 
the  platform  with  a  gay  smile  on  her  face.  An  attendant 
fastened  on  her  head  a  wicker  wheel  about  three  feet  in 
diameter ;  it  was  bound  firmly  to  the  crown  of  her  head, 
and  all  around  it  were  cords  placed  at  equal  distances,  each 
having  a  slipknot  secured  by  means  of  a  glass  bead.  In 
her  left  hand  she  held  a  basket  of  eggs.  When  the  music 
struck  up  once  more  she  took  an  egg,  inserted  it  into  a 
knot,  and  gave  it  a  peculiarly  energetic  little  jerk,  which 
somehow  fastened  it  firmly  in  its  place.  As  soon  as  all 
the  eggs  were  thus  firmly  bound  in  the  slipknots  round 
the  wheel  on  her  head,  she  gave  a  rapid  whirl,  sent  them 
flying  around,  while  she  preserved  the  movement  with  her 
feet,  keeping  time  to  the  music.  Away  she  whirled,  the 


180  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

eggs  revolving  round  her.  The  slightest  false  movement 
would  bring  them  together  in  a  general  crash.  After  con- 
tinuing this  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  she  seized  a  cord 
with  a  swift  but  sure  grasp,  detached  from  it  the  inserted 
egg,  managing  the  slipknot  with  marvellous  dexterity, 
dancing  all  the  while,  till  every  egg  was  detached  and 
placed  in  her  basket;  after  which  she  advanced,  and, 
kneeling  before  us,  begged  us  to  examine  the  eggs  whether 
real  or  fictitious.  Of  course  the  eggs  were  real,  and  she 
was  almost  overwhelmed  with  shouts  of  "Khoup !  khoup  ! 
Matjaka!  matjaka!" — "Fine!  fine!  beautiful!"  And  then 
the  Nautchnees  vanished  from  the  pavilion. 

During  the  interval  that  followed  the  pages  went  round 
with  goulab-dhanees,  or  bottles  with  rose-water,  to  sprinkle 
the  guests. 

Suddenly  the  cry  of  the  herald  announced  a  new  scene. 
The  heavy  curtain  slowly  folded  up  and  a  long  line  of 
male  actors,  superbly  attired  as  Oriental  kings  and  princes 
from  different  parts  of  the  East,  entered  and  took  their 
places  on  the  divans  ranged  along  the  farther  end  of  the 
pavilion.  Ram  Chunder  approached  us  and  informed  me 
that  the  piece  about  to  be  represented  was  a  pure  Hindoo 
drama,  a  beautiful  episode  from  the  Sanskrit  epic  Mahd- 
bhdrata,  called  "  Nalopakyanama,  or,  The  Story  of  Nala." 

After  the  kings  and  princes  had  seated  themselves,  in 
came  a  string  of  attendants  arrayed  in  gold  and  gleaming 
armor,  who  took  their  places  behind  the  royal  personages 
on  the  divans.  Then  came  twelve  maidens  attired  in  cloth 
of  gold  and  fantastic  head-gear,  belonging  to  the  ancient 
Vedic  period.  Each  of  these  girls  had  a  cithara  in  her 
hands;  they  disposed  themselves  on  seats  to  the  left  of 
the  pavilion.  After  these  a  shrill  cry  of  many  voices 
announced  the  gods  Indra,  Agni,  Varuna,  and  Yama, 
and  in  stalked  four  men  splendidly  robed,  bearing  gold 


THE   DRAMA   OF   NALA.  181 

wands,  with  serpents  coiling  around  them,  in  their  hands, 
and  lotos-shaped  crowns  richly  jewelled  on  their  heads. 
Their  raiment  was  one  blaze  of  tinsel  and  glass  jewels, 
made  to  shine  with  all  the  brilliancy  of  real  gems. 

Then  came  the  hero  Nala,  with  faded  flowers  on  his 
tiara,  dust  on  his  garments,  and  looking  picturesque 
enough  with  his  bright  scarf  thrown  across  his  shoulders, 
but  travel-stained  and  very  commonplace  in  the  presence 
of  so  much  gold  and  finer}'. 

Nala  was  the  hero  to  whom  the  matchless  Damayanti, 
"  whose  beauty  disturbed  the  souls  of  gods  and  men,"  had 
pledged  her  love,  in  spite  of  the  proposition  he  brought 
her  from  the  four  gods  to  choose  one  of  them  and  reign 
the  unrivalled  queen  of  the  highest  heaven.  Damayanti, 
desirous  of  averting  from  her  well-beloved  Nala  the  ven- 
geance of  the  gods,  invites  all  her  suitors  to  the  "  Swa- 
yamvara;"  that  is,  a  public  choice  of  a  husband  by  the 
lady,  according  to  the  custom  of  that  age,  assuring  Nala 
that  then  there  will  be  no  cause  of  blame  to  him,  as  she 
will  choose  him  in  the  presence  of  the  gods  themselves. 
Hence  the  presence  of  the  four  gods  among  the  assembled 
princes  suitors  for  the  hand  of  the  lovely  Damayauti. 

The  herald  once  more  gave  the  signal  for  the  perform- 
ance to  begin.  The  musicians  struck  their  citharas  and 
recited  in  musical  intonations  the  chief  parts  of  the  drama 
of  Nala.  At  a  certain  part  of  the  recitation  the  curtain 
descended,  and  in  a  few  moments  went  up  again.  During 
this  interval  the  gods  were  transformed  into  the  likeness 
of  Nala,  presenting  five  Nalas  instead  of  one ;  which  the 
singers  explained  was  a  trick  of  the  gods  by  which  they 
hoped  to  bewilder  poor  Damayanti  and  perhaps  induce 
her,  in  her  ignorance  of  which  were  the  gods  and  which 
Nala,  to  select  one  of  their  divine  number  as  her  future 
husband.  The  interest  of  the  drama  was  centred  among 


182  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL,   IN   INDIA. 

these  four  suitors  of  Damayanti,  each  the  counterpart  of 
the  favored  Nala. 

The  music  at  this  point  rose  and  fell,  now  vibrating  in 
low  tender  accents,  and  anon  rising  in  wild,  startling  em- 
phasis of  expression.  At  this  moment  the  curtain  parted 
and  there  stood  the  cup-dancer  with  her  quiet  yet  entran- 
cing beauty.  Calmly  she  entered,  looking  down  and  medi- 
tating, as  we  were  told,  on  the  object  of  her  affections. 
Her  dress  was  exquisite  of  its  kind  and  character;  I 
never  saw  its  counterpart  on  a  Nautchnee  before  or  after. 
It  was  a  long  gown  without  sleeves,  falling  from  her 
shoulders  to  her  feet,  open  at  the  throat,  exposing  a  part 
of  the  neck  and  breast  and  the  whole  arm  from  the 
shoulder.  It  was  very  full,  but  of  the  most  delicate  tex- 
ture, revealing  the  whole  outline  of  a  very  lovely  form. 
A  bright  border  of  variegated  silk  ran  down  the  front 
and  round  the  hem  of  this  ancient  V&dic  garment,  and  it 
was  fastened  at  the  waist  by  a  rich  silk  scarf.  Her  hair 
fell  back,  flowing  down  to  her  feet;  on  her  head  was  a 
curious  crown  of  an  antique  pattern,  and  over  it  all  was 
thrown  a  long  veil  that  streamed  on  the  floor,  and  was  of 
such  transparent  texture  that  it  looked  like  woven  sun- 
beams. 

Such  was  the  impersonation  of  the  Vedic  beauty  Dama- 
yanti. When  she  reached  the  centre  of  the  circular  pavilion 
she  lifted  her  eyes,  and,  seeing  five  Nalas  instead  of  one, 
started  backward,  clasped  her  lovely  arms  on  her  bosom, 
and,  rocking  herself  gently  to  and  fro,  moaned,  "  Alas ! 
alas !  there  are  five  Nalas,  all  so  like  my  own  true  sinless 
chief.  How  shall  I  discover  the  one  to  whom  alone  I  have 
pledged  my  undying  love  ?" 

At  this  juncture  the  music  ceased  and  a  deep  silence  fell 
upon  the  audience.  Every  eye  was  riveted  on  that  lovely 
creature  seemingly  overcome  with  the  tide  of  sorrow  and 


THE  GODS   REVEAL  THEMSELVES.  183 

uncertainty  that  swept  over  her.  Suddenly  pausing  in  her 
moans,  she  turned  up  her  fine  eyes  to  the  sky,  and  with 
some  new  inward  light  dawning  as  it  were  upon  her 
troubled  soul  said  audibly,  "  To  the  gods  alone  I  will 
trust  If  they  are  indeed  gods,  they  will  not  deceive  a 
poor  mortal  woman  like  me." 

Then,  quivering  and  trembling,  with  flushed  cheeks 
and  lustrous  eyes,  she  folded  her  hands  and  knelt  in 
reverence  before  the  gods  and  prayed  aloud,  and  said,  "  O 
ye  gods,  as  in  word  or  thought  I  swerve  not  from  my  love 
and  faith  to  Nala,  so  I  here  adjure  you  to  resume  your 
immortal  forms  and  reveal  to  me  my  Nala,  that  I  may  in 
your  holy  presence  choose  him  for  my  pure  and  sinless 
husband." 

Kneeling  there  with  her  face  turned  up,  her  hands 
folded,  the  outlines  of  her  beautiful  form  made  even  more 
lovely  by  the  half-softened  halo  of  light  shed  over  her 
from  above,  she  seemed  like  some  beautiful  vision,  and 
not  a  thing  of  flesh  and  blood.  I  never  witnessed  any- 
thing more  truly  exquisite  and  tender  in  its  simple  woman- 
hood than  this  rendering  of  the  beautiful  Vedic  character 
of  Damayanti. 

Again  the  voices  of  the  musicians  were  heard  interpret- 
ing for  us  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  the  gods :  "  We 
are  filled  with  wonder  at  her  steadfast  love  and  peerless 
beauty,"  etc.,  etc.  Once  more  the  curtain  is  dropped,  and 
presently  it  folds  up  again,  revealing  the  forms  of  the  four 
bright  gods  as  at  first  in  all  the  splendor  of  their  robes, 
crowned  and  flashing  with  jewels,  and  fragrant  with  the 
garlands  of  fresh  flowers  that  hang  around  their  necks. 

Damayanti  rose  from  her  bended  knees.  With  pleased 
and  childlike  wonder  she  gazed  at  the  gods  one  moment, 
then  turned  to  her  own  true  Nala,  who  stood  before  her  in 
striking  contrast  to  the  gods,  with  moisture  on  his  brow, 


184  LIFE   AND  TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

dust  on  his  garments,  soiled  head-dress  and  faded  garland. 
But  on  recognizing  him  as  the  true  Nala  she  folded  her 
hands  in  sudden  rapture  and  gave  a  cry  of  joy ;  then,  re- 
moving from  her  own  neck  her  garland  of  mohgree- 
flowers,  moved  with  quiet  grace  toward  her  lover,  knelt 
and  kissed  the  hem  of  his  dusty  robe,  arose  and  threw 
around  his  neck  her  own  fresh,  radiant  wreath  of  flowers, 
saying,  "  So  I  choose  for  my  lord  and  husband  Nish&dah's 
noble  king."  At  this  speech  a  sound  of  wild  sorrow  burst 
from  the  rejected  suitors,  but  the  gods  shouted,  "Well 
done !  well  done !"  Then  the  happy  Nala,  turning  to  the 
blushing  Damayanti,  said,  "  Since,  O  maiden,  you  have 
chosen  me  for  your  husband  in  the  presence  of  the  gods, 
know  this,  that  I  will  ever  be  your  faithful  lover,  delight 
in  your  words,  your  looks,  your  thoughts,  and  so  long  as 
this  soul  inhabits  this  body,  so  long  as  the  moon  turns  to 
the  sun  till  the  sun  grows  cold  and  ceases  to  shine,  so  long 
shall  I  be  thine,  and  thine  only." 

One  more  loud  shout  from  the  herald,  the  curtaiu 
dropped,  the  play  and  the  day  were  over,  for  it  was  just 
twelve  o'clock. 

The  Oriental  and  European  guests  took  their  leave  of 
their  amiable  host  with  much  salaaming  and  many  expres- 
sions of  delight,  for  the  play  had  been  arranged  by  Ram 
Chunder  himself. 

After  a  few  minutes  our  host  kindly  conducted  me  to 
an  inner  apartment  of  his  dwelling  to  introduce  me,  as  he 
had  promised,  to  his  wife,  who  had  already  quitted  her 
place  behind  the  curtains,  whence  she  and  her  maids  had 
witnessed  the  performance,  and  had  retired  to  her  own 
rooms,  which  were  (as  in  the  case  of  all  rich  Hindoos  or 
even  Mohammedans)  separate  from  those  occupied  by  her 
husband.  Traversing  a  long  and  narrow  passage,  we 
came  to  an  arched  doorway,  with  a  dark  silk  curtain 


A  HINDOO  LADY. 


A  HINDOO  LADY.  185 

hanging  before  it,  guarded  by  two  women  seated  on  either 
side.  They  rose  and  salaamed  to  us,  and  Ram  Chunder, 
instead  of  walking  in  as  any  ordinary  European  husband 
would  have  done,  inquired  of  them  if  the  lady  Kesineh 
had  retired. 

"  No,  your  lordship,"  replied  the  ceremonious  Hindoo 
maid-servant;  "she  waits  yours  and  the  English  lady's 
presence." 

On  which  Ram  Chunder  drew  aside  the  heavy  drapery 
and  bade  me  enter,  saying,  "  I  will  return  for  you  in  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  or  so." 

Left  alone,  I  stepped  into  a  dimly-lighted  but  spacious 
room,  at  the  farther  end  of  which  I  saw  seated  a  Hindoo 
lady  surrounded  by  several  female  attendants. 

As  far  as  I  could  observe  in  the  dim  light,  she  was 
dark,  but  handsome  and  dressed  like  the  generality  of 
Hindoo  women,  only  that  her  veil,  instead  of  being  drawn 
over  her  head,  was  thrown  back,  and  trailed  on  the  floor 
beside  her.  She  did  not  rise  to  greet  me,  but  salaamed  to 
me  from  her  place,  and  patted  a  cushion  close  by  her  as 
an  invitation  for  me  to  be  seated.  This  was,  as  I  soon 
found,  owing  to  the  fact  that  her  little  daughter,  lying 
half  asleep  in  a  little  Hindoo  cradle  close  by,  was  hold- 
ing her  hand,  and  she  feared  to  disturb  her.  I  sat  down 
and  looked  over  into  the  cradle ;  there  lay  a  soft  plump, 
brown  child,  a  little  girl  of  about  two  years  of  age,  per- 
fectly nude,  with  a  string  of  gold  coins  around  her  neck 
and  each  of  her  arms.  In  the  presence  of  such  perfect 
innocence  and  trust  the  narrow  distinctions  of  races  and 
creeds  seemed  to  fade  away :  I  only  felt  here  was  another 
woman  like  myself,  and  she  a  mother;  and,  in  truth,  I 
could  not  have  long  felt  otherwise,  in  spite  of  any  preju- 
dices I  may  have  had ;  Kesineh  was  too  natural  and  simple 
a  creature  for  one  to  feel  anything  but  at  home  with  her. 


186  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

The  first  words  that  she  said  to  me,  after  satisfying  her- 
self that  little  "  Brownee "  (as  I  always  called  her)  was 
asleep,  were,  "How  long  have  you  been  married?"  Then, 
"  What  does  your  husband  look  like  ?  How  old  are  you  ? 
Where  do  you  live?"  etc.,  etc.  My  answers  seemed  to 
please  her  very  much,  for  she  patted  my  knee  and  laughed 
softly,  and  said,  "  Oh,  heart !  oh,  heart !  how  happy  you 
must  be!" 

We  then  talked  about  her  own  life.  She  told  me  that 
she  had  been  married  four  years,  that  she  had  hoped 
"  Brownee  "  was  going  to  be  a  son,  "  but  she  turned  out 
a  daughter  after  all,"  said  poor  Kesineh  with  a  sigh. 
"  Do  you  love  her  less  for  that  ?"  I  inquired.  "  Oh  no, 
indeed,"  said  Kesinfeh  quickly ;  "  I  think  I  love  her  more, 
but  my  lord  would  have  been  better  pleased  with  me  if 
she  had  been  a  son  instead  of  a  daughter."  "  But,"  said 
I,  trying  to  comfort  her  for  her  disappointment,  "  it  was 
not  your  fault  that  your  child  happened  to  be  a  daughter." 
"  Oh  yes,"  said  the  lady  with  great  energy,  "  it  was  my 
own  fault.  I  committed  the  sin  of  marrying  my  own 
brother  in  a  former  state  of  existence;  thus  I  am  now 
doomed  to  have  a  daughter  for  my  first-born  child  in 
this."  I  did  not  know  what  to  say  to  this  odd  explana- 
tion, and  there  was  a  pause,  but  at  length  I  ventured  to 
suggest  that  whether  it  was  so  or  not  she  must  admit  that 
little  "Brownee"  was  a  treasure.  "Oh  yes,"  said  Kesineh 
with  joyful  emphasis — "a  lovely,  bewildering  little  thing;" 
and  she  leaned  lovingly  over  the  little  sleeper. 

I  noticed  that  in  everything  this  Hindoo  lady  said  or 
did  there  was  no  affectation  of  voice  or  manner,  no  effort 
to  please  or  entertain  me,  but  a  simple  and  natural  ex- 
pression of  herself. 

When  it  was  time  for  me  to  go  I  put  her  one  question 
which  I  longed  most  to  have  answered :  "  Who  is  that 


A   HINDOO  SALUTATION.  187 

very  beautiful  Nautchnee  who  danced  the  cup-dance  and 
performed  the  part  of  Damayanti  this  evening  ?" 

"I  do  not  know,"  said  the  lady  Kesineh  with  great 
interest  in  her  manner.  "Is  she  not  beautiful?  The 
Nautchnees  were  hired  for  this  evening.  I  would  like  to 
know  who  she  is  too." 

Then,  turning  to  one  of  her  attendants,  who  was  listen- 
ing to  every  word  we  said  with  a  smile  on  her  face, 
she  inquired,  "  Ummah,  do  you  know  the  owner  of  the 
Nautchnees  who  were  here  to-night?" 

"  Yes,  my  lady,"  replied  the  woman. 

"  If  you  hear  anything  about  her  you  will  let  me  know, 
for  I  have  fallen  in  love  with  her,"  said  I,  half  in  jest  and 
half  in  earnest.  "  Mah  mi !  mah  mi !"  laughed  Kesineli — 
"  so  have  I.  She  is  a  heart-distracting  creature.  Every 
one  who  saw  her  dance  and  act  will  dream  of  her  to-night. 
Mah  mi !  mah  mi !  how  proud  she  must  feel !" 

I  wished  her  good-night  in  the  strictest  Hindoo  fashion, 
taught  me  by  the  pundit. 

"Ram,  Ram,"  said  I,  "dev&  Ram!"*  Putting  my 
folded  hands  to  my  brow  and  stooping,  I  lightly  kissed 
the  little  sleeper  in  the  cradle. 

The  very  next  moment  Kesineh  had  sprung  up,  and, 
putting  her  arms  around  my  neck,  she  laid  her  brow 
against  mine  and  repeated  that  tender  Hindoo  farewell 
than  which  there  is  nothing  more  exquisite  in  human 
language :  "  The  gods  send  that  neither  sun  nor  wind, 
neither  rain  nor  any  earthly  sorrow,  brush  by  thee  too 
roughly,  my  friend." 

Content  and  pleased  with  my  new  acquaintance,  we 
parted,  but  not  without  my  promise  to  visit  her  again. 

The  dancing-girls  of  India  may  be  divided  into  three 
classes :  the  Nautchnees,  who  are  actresses,  or  ballet-girls, 
.  *  "  Rama,  Kama,  the  god  Kama,  bless  you !" 


188  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

or  both ;  the  Bayahdiers,  or  Bhayadhyas,  dedicated  by 
their  parents  in  childhood  as  votive  offerings  to  certain 
temples,  and  consecrated  to  them  at  the  age  of  woman- 
hood ;  and  the  common  "  Cusban,"  a  grade  even  lower 
than  either  of  these,  whose  ranks  are  chiefly  supplied  from 
the  abandoned  Mohammedan  women,  the  Purwarees,  the 
lowest  of  all  castes  in  Central  India,  as  well  as  from  the 
disaffected  runaways  of  either  of  the  two  former  and  more 
reputable  professions.  The  Cusban,  therefore,  is  the  scum 
and  refuse  of  the  lowest-caste  females  in  India. 

One  day,  accompanied  by  Kesineh,  I  visited  a  Nautch- 
nee  establishment  of  which  the  beautiful  dancing-girl  who 
so  much  attracted  me  was  an  inmate.  It  was  kept  by  a 
native  man  and  his  wife,  named  respectively  Dhanut  and 
Saineh  Bebee.  We  drove  to  it  in  a  Hindoo  carriage,  a 
round  seat  for  two  or  more  persons  placed  on  wheels, 
drawn  by  a  pair  of  milk-white  bullocks,  and  covered  with 
a  curious  conical  structure  of  wicker  work  hung  with  crim- 
son silk  curtains.  We  took  our  places  on  two  cushions 
cross-legged;  the  driver  sat  in  front,  and  with  a  sharp 
crack  of  the  whip  started  the  bullocks  at  a  brisk  trot  and 
sent  us  bumping  up  and  down.  On  our  way  we  caught 
glimpses  of  a  population  even  more  strange  than  those  to  be 
met  daily  in  the  parts  of  the  island  more  frequented  by  Euro- 
peans. The  dirtiness  of  a  low-caste,  poverty-stricken  Orien- 
tal street  is  inconceivable.  Filth  reigned  supreme  in  some 
of  the  lanes  and  alleys  through  which  we  passed.  A  rank 
vegetation  clothed  everything;  trees  hung  with  many- 
colored  festoons  of  leaves  and  flowers  formed  thick  tap- 
estries of  foliage  on  the  right  and  on  the  left. 

There  is  no  country  in  the  world  (save  the  beautiful 
island  of  Ceylon)  that  is  kinder  to  the  sluggard.  The 
poorest  soil  will  grow  certain  qualities  of  fruit  and  cocoa- 
nut  palms.  The  native  population  in  some  parts  here 


THE  NAUTCHNEES'   ESTABLISHMENT.  189 

seemed  almost  too  indolent  to  move  out  of  the  way  of  our 
carriage-wheels,  but  they  were  peaceful  enough.  Stones, 
old  broken  bits  of  earthenware,  wheels,  broken  litters, 
impeded  the  way,  and  cows,  dogs,  hens,  chickens,  pigs, 
ducks,  and  children  less  clad  than  any  of  these,  roamed 
idly  about  in  the  streets  and  gutters  or  narrow  lanes.  As 
a  rule,  no  refuse  or  rubbish  of  any  kind  whatever  is  re- 
moved, but  is  left  to  accident  and  the  action  of  natural 
chemistry.  Burnt-down  huts  covered  over  with  the  ever- 
ready  parasitic  plants,  old  wells  and  tanks  filled  with  stag- 
nant water  abounding  in  frogs,,  water-snakes,  and  all 
kinds  of  reptiles,  add  to  the  sluggish  appearance  of  the 
place.  Gayly-dressed  native  women,  idle  men — among 
whom  may  be  seen  some  poor  depraved  British  tars — and 
male  and  female  hucksters  of  fruit  and  sweetmeats,  com- 
plete the  picture. 

The  Nautchnees'  establishment  was  a  curious  building 
surrounded  by  a  high  wall.  We  entered  through  a  gate, 
and  were  at  once  conducted  by  a  couple  of  old  women 
across  a  paved  courtyard  planted  all  around  with  the 
mohgree,  oleander,  and  tall  red  and  white  rose  trees. 
Passing  this,  we  were  introduced  into  a  great  bare  hall, 
with  low  seats  ranged  around  the  walls,  curtained  all 
along  the  farther  end  of  the  room,  into  which  inner 
chambers  seemed  to  open.  Here  we  took  our  places. 
One  of  the  old  women  stayed  by  us,  while  the  other  went 
off  to  announce  our  visit  to  the  head  lady  of  the  estab- 
lishment. 

The  great  slave-markets  which  we  have  all  read  so 
much  about,  where  tender  young  girls  are  bought  and 
sold  as  if  they  were  cattle,  no  longer  exist  in  British 
India,  but  the  amount  of  traffic  of  the  kind  that  is  still 
carried  on  everywhere  is  incredible,  although  the  fact  is 
vigorously  denied  by  both  the  buyer  and  the  seller.  In 


190  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

many  cases  these  Nautchnees  are  not  bought,  but  hired 
for  a  term  of  years,  for  money  paid  not  to  the  girls  them- 
selves, but  to  parents  or  friends.  In  the  course  of  time 
the  parents  die  or  move  away,  and  the  girl,  after  having 
given  her  best  days  to  her  employers,  finds  herself  with- 
out money,  friends,  or  social  ties,  and  is  glad  enough  to 
spend  the  remainder  of  her  life  in  instructing  the  younger 
members  of  the  establishment  of  which,  with  the  fidelity 
so  natural  to  Oriental  women,  she  considers  herself  a 
member,  and  therefore  bound  for  life  to  promote  its 
interests. 

After  a  few  moments  Sainah  Bebee  came  in  to  greet  the 
lady  Kesineh.  She  salaamed  most  deferentially  to  us,  and 
took  her  place  on  the  floor.  She  was  a  woman  about  fifty 
and  a  native  of  Afghanistan,  tall  and  finely  formed.  She 
spoke  of  difficulty  in  procuring  respectable  young  girls  to 
fill  the  places  of  those  who  ran  away,  were  sold  to  certain 
rich  admirers  for  wives  or  concubines,  or  died.  It  would 
appear  that  the  lowest,  or  Cusban,  class  was  largely  in- 
creasing, whereas  that  of  the  Nautchnees  was  fast  dimin- 
ishing. On  my  questioning  the  old  lady  about  the 
average  life  of  the  Nautchnees,  she  could  give  me  no 
clear  estimate,  but  intimated  very  decidedly  that  they 
generally  died  young. 

At  my  especial  request  we  were  shown  into  the  exer- 
cising-room  and  almost  over  the  entire  establishment. 
There  were  over  a  hundred  girls,  of  all  ages,  and  all 
shades  of  complexion  from  dark-brown  to  a  pale  delicate 
olive,  going  through  their  exercises  at  the  time.  The 
hall  was  composed  of  bamboo  trellis-work,  and  was  light, 
spacious,  and  airy  enough.  From  the  roof  hung  all  sorts 
of  gymnastic  apparatus,  rude  but  curious — ropes  to  which 
the  girls  clung  as  they  whirled  round  on  tiptoe ;  wheels 
on  which  they  were  made  to  walk  in  order  to  learn  a 


THE  NAUTCHNEES*   GYMXASIUM.  191 

peculiar  circular  dance  called  "  chakranee "  (from  "  chak," 
y  wheel) ;  slipknots  into  which  they  fastened  one  arm  or 
one  leg,  thus  holding  it  motionless  while  they  exercised 
the  other ;  cups,  revolving  balls,  which  they  sprang  up  to 
catch ;  and  heaps  of  fragile  cords,  with  which  they  spin 
round  and  round,  and  if  any  one  of  these  snap  under  too 
great  a  pressure,  they  are  punished,  though  never  very 
severely. 

Altogether,  it  was  a  strange  sight.  Most  of  the  girls 
from  ten  to  fourteen  had  nothing  on  but  a  short  tight  pair 
of  drawers ;  the  older  ones  had  tight  short-sleeved  bodices 
in  addition  to  the  drawers;  and  those  under  ten  were  naked. 
They  were  all  good-looking ;  a  few  here  and  there  were 
beautiful.  The  delicate  and  refined  outline  of  their  fea- 
tures, the  soft  tint  of  their  rich  complexions,  the  dreamy 
expression  of  their  large,  dark,  quiet  eyes,  added  to  great 
symmetry  of  form,  made  them  strangely  fascinating. 

The  teachers  were  all  middle-aged  women,  some  of 
whom  looked  prematurely  old.  The  girls  are  taught  to 
repeat  poems  and  plays,  but  no  books  are  used. 

The  dormitories  in  this  establishment  were  bare  rooms ; 
the  girls  all  slept  on  mats  or  cushions  on  the  floor. 
Each  had  a  lota,  or  drinking-cup,  a  little  mirror,  and  a 
native  box  in  which  to  keep  her  clothes.  The  more 
finished  and  accomplished  Nautchnees  had  rooms  to 
themselves.  I  went  into  one  of  these.  It  was  matted, 
and  was  very  simply  furnished.  A  tier  of  boxes  in 
which  her  jewels  and  robes  were  kept,  a  cot,  a  few  brass 
lotas,  fans,  cojas,  or  water-holders,  with  some  tiny  look- 
ing-glasses ranged  along  the  wall, — and  this  was  all. 

I  inquired  for  the  beautiful  Nautchnee  who  had  inter- 
ested me.  Her  name  was  Khangee ;  she  was  a  Soodahnee 
by  birth.  The  Soodahs  are  a  military  race  or  tribe  in- 
habiting parts  of  the  province  of  Cutch ;  they  find  their 


192  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

chief  wealth  in  the  beauty  of  their  daughters,  and  for  one 
of  the  Soodahnees  a  rich  Mohammedan  will  pay  from  a 
thousand  to  ten  thousand  rupees.*  Rajahs,  wealthy  Mo- 
hammedan merchants,  and  proprietors  of  dancing-girls 
often  despatch  their  emissaries  to  Cutch,  Cabool,  Cash- 
mere, and  Rajpootana  in  search  of  beautiful  women. 
The  fame  of  the  Cashmerian  and  Soodah  women  has 
spread  far  and  wide,  and  often  some  beautiful  creature  is 
picked  up  out  of  the  hovels  of  Thur,  Booly,  or  Cashmere 
and  transplanted  to  the  gorgeous  pomp  of  a  royal  harem. 
The  Rajpoots  intermarry  with  the  Soodah  and  Cashmerian 
women,  and,  being  naturally  a  handsome  race,  they  have 
preserved  by  this  means  that  physical  beauty  of  which 
they  are  "so  justly  proud. 

Veiy  little  was  known  of  Khangee's  history  beyond  the 
fact  that  she  was  a  Soodahnee  by  birth.  She  was  bought 
at  an  early  age  from  her  parents,  who  were  poor  and  oc- 
cupied a  hovel  in  the  village  of  Thur  in  Cutch,  and  sold 
to  this  establishment  when  in  her  seventh  year,  and  was 
almost  as  ignorant  of  her  parentage  as  a  newly-born  babe. 
At  the  time  of  our  visit  she  had  been  hired  with  a  party 
of  Nautchnees  to  assist  in  the  marriage-celebration  which 
was  to  take  place  at  the  house  of  a  rich  Bunyah,  or  Hin- 
doo grain-merchant. 

These  Nautehnees  often  marry  well,  and  become  chaste 
wives  and  mothers  of  large  families.  The  four  requisites 
for  a  Nautchnee  are  bright  eyes,  fine  teeth,  long  hair,  and 
a  perfect  symmetry  of  form  and  feature.  A  small  black 
mole  between  the  eyebrows  or  on  either  cheek  will  en- 
hance her  value  to  an  extraordinary  degree. 

The  utter  friendlessness,  the  quiet  submission,  expressed 
in  the  actions  and  faces  of  the  young  girls,  and  even  of 
the  little  children,  we  had  seen  exercising  and  acquiring 
*  The  value  of  a  rupee  is  about  forty-five  American  cents. 


WOMEN  DEVOTED  TO  THE  TEMPLES.       193 

their  different  parts  that  morning,  were  very  pathetic. 
There  was  none  of  the  impetuosity  of  youth  nor  of  the 
joyousness  of  childhood.  It  is  a  sad  and  dreary  picture, 
these  parentless  children  of  the  East  living  for  some  rich 
man's  pleasure,  and  dying  as  they  live,  often  unloved  and 
uucared  for  by  any  relative  or  friend. 

"Bayahdier"  is  the  name  generally  applied  by  the 
French  ancHPortuguese  to  the  dancing-girls  attached  to 
temples.*  They  are  distinct  from  the  Nautchnees,  and 
are  held  sacred  as  priestesses.  In  case  of  sickness,  fam- 
ine, or  other  individual  or  social  calamity  Hindoo  parents 
will  repair  to  the  temple  and  there  vow  to  dedicate  a 
daughter,  sometimes  yet  unborn,  to  the  service  of  Siva, 
provided  the  gods  avert  the  threatened  danger.  Such 
vows  are  also  made  by  barren  women,  who  promise,  if 
the  curse  of  barrenness  be  removed,  to  dedicate  to  Siva 
their  first-born  daughter ;  and  all  such  vows  are  religiously 
performed.  When  the  child  thus  consecrated  is  born,  the 
first  thing  that  is  necessary  is  for  the  father  to  repair  to 
the  temple  and  register  her  name  as  a  devotee  of  the 
temple,  break  a  cocoanut  at  the  shrine  of  Siva,  and  take 
from  the  hand  of  the  Brahman  priest  a  little  holy  oil, 
shaindoor,  a  sort  of  red  paint,  and  mud  obtained  from  the 
Granges ;  with  which  he  returns  to  mark  the  newly-born 
child.  From  this  moment  she  is  looked  upon  as  a  priest- 
ess, and  is  exempt  from  all  household  or  any  other  em- 
ployment. At  the  age  of  five  she  attends  the  temple 
daily,  where  she  is  taught  by  the  priests  to  read,  chant, 
sing,  and  dance  in  the  schools  attached  to  it.  When  the 
girl  has  reached  womanhood  she  undergoes  certain  puri- 

*  Their  names  vary  with  the  language.     I  have  heard  them  called 
"  Khoo  mattees "   in    parts  of  Guzerat ;    also   "  Dhayahtees "   in   the 
Deccan,    and  Bhaladhya  in  parts  of  Western  India,  from  Sanskrit 
"bala,"  youth,  and  "dhya,"  tenderness. 
13 


194  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

fications.  Holy  oil  and  grated  sandal- wood  are  rubbed 
over  her  person ;  she  is  then  bathed,  perfumed,  fumigated, 
dressed  in  a  robe  peculiar  to  these  priestesses — a  full  petti- 
coat with  a  handsome  border,  short  enough  to  show  her 
feet  and  ankles,  which  are  covered  with  jewels;  a  very 
short  boddice,  and  over  this  is  thrown  a  spotted  muslin 
veil ;  the  hair  is  ornamented  with  jewels  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver, as  are  the  neck,  arms,  and  throat.  She  then  enters 
the  temple,  takes  her  place  near  the  stone  image  of  Siva ; 
generally  her  right  hand  is  bound  to  that  of  the  holy  im- 
age, her  forehead  is  marked  with  his  sign,  and  she  con- 
firms the  vow  made  by  her  parents  to  dedicate  her  body  to 
the  service  and  maintenance  of  the  temple.  With  some 
few  advantages  of  education,  this  temple-service  may  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  corrupt  and  depraving  insti- 
tutions of  the  Hindoos — injurious  alike  to  the  moral  and 
physical  welfare  of  the  community  at  large,  and  moreover 
debasing  to  the  character  of  the  Brahman  priests  them- 
selves in  their  open  recognition  and  encouragement  of 
vice.  These  poor  devotees  often  accept  their  fate  with 
that  stolid  indifference  peculiar  to  the  Orientals,  and  are 
taught  to  believe  that  their  immoralities  are  sacred  to  the 
god  to  whom  they  are  dedicated. 

The  services  on  the  death  of  one  of  these  priestesses  are 
peculiar.  When  at  the  point  of  death  a  mud  idol  of  Siva 
is  placed  in  her  arms.  Her  mouth,  eyes,  nose,  and  ears 
are  rubbed  with  holy  oil,  and  then  touched  with  flame 
obtained  from  a  sacrificial  fire,  to  purify  from  the  taint 
of  her  impure  life ;  in  her  hands  are  placed  the  toolsi  * 

*  Ocymum  or  sweet  basil.  This  plant  has  a  very  dark-blue  flower, 
and  hence,  like  the  large  bluish-black  bees  of  India,  is  held  sacred  to 
Krishna  and  his  amours.  A  fable,  however,  is  told  in  the  Puranas 
concerning  the  metamorphosis  of  the  nymph  Toolasi  (by  Krishna)  into 
the  shrub  which  has  since  borne  her  name,  because  he  could  not  return 
her  love. 


THE   BRAHMANS   OF   CAUCASIAN  TYPE.  195 

flowers,  and  her  body  is  robed  in  pure  white ;  after  which 
she  is  made  to  repeat  a  hymn  praying  that  as  she  has  con- 
secrated her  body  to  the  service  of  the  gods,  so  may  her 
soul  be  freed  from  rebirth  and  reunited  to  the  Infinite 
Soul.  If  she  is  too  feeble  to  repeat  this  prayer,  the  priests 
chant  it  in  her  dying  ear.  When  life  becomes  extinct  she 
is  carried  to  a  quiet  spot  in  the  vicinity  of  the  temple, 
burned,  and  her  ashes  buried  then  and  there.  Sometimes 
a  fellow-sister  will  plant  a  toolsi  or  moghree  tree  on  the 
site,  but  no  monument  ever  marks  the  spot  where  these 
poor  priestesses  of  passion  are  cremated. 

These  devotees  are  never  taken  in  marriage ;  they  are 
looked  upon  as  the  brides  of  their  various  deities ;  they 
are  generally  childless.  If  a  woman  happens  to  have  a 
child,  however,  she  is  sole  arbitress  of  its  fate,  and  in  no 
instance  has  she  ever  been  known  to  dedicate  it  to  the  life 
to  which  she  has  been  doomed.  She  generally  hands  it 
over  to  her  parents  or  nearest  relatives  as  a  substitute  for 
herself. 

There  are  hospitals  and  asylums  for  the  sick,  infirm, 
and  aged  of  this  class  of  women,  though  from  all  I  could 
learn  very  few  arrive  at  old  age. 

The  Cusban,  or  lowest  class  of  dancing-women,  is  very 
largely  recruited  from  runaways  from  these  Hindoo  tem- 
ples, and  it  is  said  that  in  course  of  time  they  become  the 
most  abandoned  and  desperate  of  the  native  community. 

Even  the  most  intelligent  people,  unless  they  have  made 
a  special  study  of  India,  can  have  no  idea  of  the  marked 
differences  that  exist  between  the  Brahmans  and  these  dif- 
ferent classes  of  women.  The  pure  Brahman,  with  the 
three  other  Aryan  castes  in  so  far  as  they  have  not  inter- 
married with  the  aborigines,  are  of  Caucasian  type.  In 
the  northern  provinces  they  are  not  brown,  but  of  a  com- 
plexion almost  as  fair  as  that  of  many  dark  Europeans. 


196  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

Both  the  men  and  women  are  distinguished  by  symmetry 
of  form,  fine  soft  hair,  and  beautiful  eyes.  Their  ideal 
of  beauty  is  similar  to  ours,  with  this  exception:  that 
they  have  adhered  more  closely  in  matters  of  dress  to 
the  original  simplicity  of  form  than  Europeans  have 
done. 

Theatrical  representations,  such  as  that  of  Ram  Chun- 
der,  are  much  in  vogue.  The  dramatic  art  in  Hindostan 
about  the  period  of  the  Christian  era  was  of  a  high  and 
lofty  character.  It  was  the  great  school  wherein  kings, 
warriors,  and  soldiers  were  taught  the  purest  ideals  of 
chivalry  and  manly  and  womanly  purity  of  character; 
but  at  the  present  time  it  has  greatly  degenerated,  al- 
though in  many  parts  of  India  the  more  enlightened 
Hindoos  are  trying  to  restore  it  once  more  to  its  true  and 
original  place  among  the  high  arts.  Everywhere  theat- 
rical exhibitions  are  held,  often  in  the  open  air  or  under 
temporary  sheds.  The  actresses  are  the  Nautchnees,  and 
a  respectable  Hindoo  woman  will  rarely  attend  these  pub- 
lic places.  The  native  Roman  Catholics  in  Southern  In- 
dia and  Ceylon  have  also  religious  dramas,  in  no  way 
superior  to  those  of  the  Hindoos ;  the  overshadowing  of 
the  Virgin,  the  birth  of  Christ,  the  crucifixion,  and  so 
forth,  are  very  similar  to  the  scenes  represented  of  Krishna 
and  the  Hindoo  incarnation. 

Social  dancing  does  not  exist  among  the  nations  of  the 
East,  and  it  is  considered  highly  indecorous  for  a  Hindoo 
woman  of  pure  character  to  dance.  Even  the  Nautchnees, 
if  they  become  wives  or  even  concubines  to  rich  men,  as 
often  happens,  abandon  all  such  practices ;  and  their  chil- 
dren are  never  allowed  to  know  their  mother's  early  pro- 
fession, so  deep  is  the  national  sentiment  with  regard  to 
the  domestic  relations  of  a  wife  and  mother. 

Public  reading  of  popular  poems,  histories,  and  dramas 


FAVORITE   HINDOO   GAMES.  197 

as  a  source  of  amusement  is  very  common  all  through 
Northern  and  Southern  Hindostan.  The  reading  is  al- 
ways performed  in  parts.  A  wealthy  Hindoo  will  engage 
a  number  of  professional  readers  to  perform  the  task,  and 
every  one  who  wishes  to  hear  may  do  so.  The  readers 
always  take  their  places  in  an  open  verandah,  and  the 
people  in  large  numbers  seat  themselves  around  within 
hearing  distance.  The  recitation  is  given ;  each  person 
performs  his  or  her  part  in  the  prescribed  order  with  a 
musical  cadence.  The  expositor  gives  a  free  translation 
for  the  benefit  of  the  people,  who  are  thus  made  acquainted 
with  the  most  celebrated  Hindoo  works. 

Chess  is  a  favorite  game  among  the  Hindoos,  and  it  is 
one  of  the  most  ancient,  alluded  to  even  in  their  earliest 
productions,  and  quite  common  among  all  classes  and 
grades  of  society.  This  game  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  the 
Hindoo  mind,  in  which  quiet  thought,  perspicacity,  and 
shrewdness  are  so  strongly  marked.  Cards  with  the 
figures  of  their  gods  and  goddesses  are  a  source  of  great 
amusement;  the  women  are  much  given  to  this  indoor 
recreation.  The  Ashta-Kasti  is  a  game  played  on  a  board 
of  twenty-five  squares  with  sixteen  cowries  or  small  shells. 
It  is  played  by  four  persons,  and  is  finished  when  one  of 
the  pieces,  traversing  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  board, 
enters  first  into  the  central  square.  Mohgali  *  Patan  is  a 
favorite  game  among  the  superior  classes  of  Hindoo  women. 
It  is  a  representation  of  a  battle  between  the  Mohgals  and 
Patans.  The  battle-field  is  accurately  drawn ;  on  one  side 
is  the  Mohgal  army,  and  on  the  other  the  Patan.  Hindoo 
ladies  play  it  with  great  skill.  Another  military  game, 
the  Pasha,  played  on  ninety-six  squares  and  with  sixteen 
pieces,  is  played  with  great  vigor  and  amid  peals  of  laughter. 
The  moves  are  regulated  by  the  throws  of  dice.  Among 

*  This  word  is  generally  pronounced  Mohgvl  by  the  natives  of  India. 


198  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

the  outdoor  sports  are  kite-flying,  throwing  the  sling,  bat- 
and-ball,  croquet  on  horseback,  wrestling,  running,  boat- 
ing, boxing,  and  hunting.  Itinerant  jugglers  are  every- 
where patronized. 

Musical  recreations  are  most  popular  of  all,  and  not 
only  from  the  temples  and  palaces,  but  from  the  humblest 
hut  of  the  poorest  peasant,  sweet  sounds  everywhere  greet 
the  ear.  When  an  instrument  cannot  be  had  the  voice  is 
substituted;  men  seated  in  clusters  under  trees  by  the 
wayside  beguile  the  evening  hours  with  song  after  song. 
The  common  bhistee  at  the  water's  edge,  the  farmer  at  the 
plough,  the  cart-driver,  the  boatman,  the  shepherd,  the 
warrior,  the  spinner  at  her  wheel,  and  the  mother  beside 
the  cradle,  all  delight  in  song,  giving  great  effect  to  tender 
or  spiritual  sentiments  by  the  measured  or  animated  tones 
of  chant,  psalm,  or  song  as  it  may  happen  to  be. 

Instrumental,  and  even  vocal  music,  though  held  among 
the  fine  arts,  has  not  attained  great  eminence,  yet  no  peo- 
ple are  more  susceptible  to  its  peculiar  charms  than  the 
Hindoos.  The  word  "  sang-gheeta,"  or  symphony,  im- 
plies not  only  the  union  of  voices  and  instruments,  but 
suitable  action. 

Musical  treatises  always  combine  "gdna,"  the  measure 
of  poetry,  "vadya,"  instrumental  sound,  and  "uritya," 
dancing.  The  most  remarkable  of  their  musical  compo- 
sitions are  The  Ragar  Navah,  "The  Sea  of  Passion;" 
Sabha-Vinodah,  "  The  Delight  of  the  Assemblies ;"  Sang- 
gheeta-Derpana,  "  The  Mirror  of  Song ;"  Raga  Nibhoda, 
"  The  Doctrine  of  Musical  Modes."  All  these  works  ex- 
plain more  or  less  the  laws  of  harmony,  the  division  of 
musical  sounds  into  scales,  etc.,  enunciation,  cadence,  rising 
and  falling  variations,  long  and  short  accentuations,  and 
rules  for  playing  the  vina  and  other  musical  instruments. 
The  vina  is  the  most  common ;  it  is  not  unlike  a  guitar, 


MUSIC   OF  DIVINE   OEIGIN.  199 

five  or  six  feet  long,  with  seven  or  more  strings,  and  a 
large  gourd  at  each  end  of  the  finger-board. 

Music,  like  almost  everything  else  in  India,  is  thought 
to  be  of  divine  origin.  The  gamut  is  called  swaragrama, 
and  is  uttered  as  Sa,  ri,  ga,  ma,  pa,  dha,  ne.  Little  cir- 
cles, ellipses,  crescents,  chains,  curves,  lines,  straight,  hori- 
zontal, or  perpendicular,  are  employed  as  notes.  The 
close  of  each  strain  is  always  marked  by  a  flower,  especi- 
ally the  rose  and  lotus. 

The  mode  of  dress  of  the  Hindoo  is  both  simple  and 
suitable  to  the  climate.  The  men  wear  a  cloth  called 
dhotee  bound  round  the  loins,  with  an  upper  vest,  of  cot- 
ton or  silk  according  to  the  wealth  of  the  wearer,  over  it. 
This  angraka,  or  coat,  is  very  graceful,  generally  of  pure 
white,  and  descending  to  the  ankles ;  it  is  bound  around 
the  waist  by  a  colored  shawl  or  scarf  called  cumberbund. 
A  white  muslin  turban  artistically  wound  around  the  head 
and  sandals  complete  the  attire.  On  festive  occasions  a 
gay  handkerchief  is  thrown  over  the  right  shoulder,  which 
adds  very  much  to  the  picturesqueness  of  the  dress. 

The  women  wear  a  cloth,  or  saree,  some  yards  in  length, 
often  edged  with  a  rich  and  delicate  embroidery  of  gold 
or  silver,  descending  to  the  feet.  They  gather  this  into  a 
point  in  front,  and  fasten  it  around  their  waists  with  or 
without  belts,  as  the  case  may  be.  They  then  twist  the 
rest  most  gracefully  around  the  entire  person,  after  which 
it  is  thrown  over  the  head  and  made  to  serve  both  as  a 
bonnet  and  a  veiL  It  is  very  becoming,  and,  wrought 
over  with  delicate  Oriental  devices  of  fine  texture,  lends  a 
peculiar  charm  to  the  most  ordinary  features.  A  bright 
silk  boddice  is  worn  under  the  saree,  and  the  whole  dress 
accords  well  with  the  sweet,  modest  grace  and  beauty 
which  characterize  the  pure  Hindoo  woman. 

They  also  wear  a  profusjpn  of  jewels,  and  ears,  nose, 


200  LIFE  AND   TKAVEL,  IN  INDIA. 

arms,  wrists,  ankles,  toes,  and  fingers  are  often  bedecked 
with  them.  In  some  instances  all  their  wealth  is  thus 
preserved.  The  hair,  which  is  often  very  luxuriant,  is 
combed  back  in  the  ordinary  European  style,  and  is  tied 
in  a  knot  behind.  Rich  women  often  fasten  it  with  a 
band  of  gold  bound  around  the  entire  head  and  very  ex- 
pensive ornamental  gold  pins.  The  Hindoo  women  pos- 
sess in  a  far  greater  degree  than  Europeans  an  eye  for 
color.  The  most  ignorant  of  them  have  the  peculiar  art 
of  selecting  strong  and  brilliant  contrasts  in  color,  and  so 
disposing  them  on  their  persons  as  to  make  a  perfect 
harmony. 

There  is  a  marked  difference  between  the  moral  and  so- 
cial character  of  the  Hindoo  and  the  Mohammedan  wo- 
men of  India.  The  Hindoo  woman  does  not  occupy  that 
position  in  society  which  she  is  so  eminently  fitted  to 
grace,  and  which  is  accorded  to  women  in  Europe  and 
America ;  but  she  is  by  no  means  as  degraded  as  is  so 
frequently  represented  by  travellers,  who  are  apt  to  mis- 
take the  common  street-women  with  whom  they  are 
brought  into  contact  for  the  wife  and  mother  of  an  ordi- 
nary Hindoo  home.  It  is  difficult  for  a  stranger  to  find 
out  what  an  Indian  woman  is  at  home,  though  he  may 
have  encountered  many  a  bedizened  female  in  the  streets 
which  he  takes  for  her. 

The  influence  of  the  Hindoo  woman  is  seen  and  felt  all 
through  the  history  of  India,  and  is  very  marked  in  the 
annals  of  British  rule.  Though  the  political  changes,  the 
invasion,  and  despotism  of  Mohammedan  rule  may  have 
forced  upon  them  the  seclusion  now  so  general,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  they  once  occupied  a  very  different  position  in 
society,  from  the  testimony  of  their  earliest  writers  and 
the  dramatic  representations  of  domestic  life  and  manners 
still  extant. 


NOTABLE  WOMEN   OP   INDIA.  201 

One  of  the  most  startling  facts  is,  that  among  the  Asi- 
atic rulers  of  India  who  have  heroically  resisted  foreign 
invasion  the  women  of  Hindostan  have  distinguished 
themselves  almost  as  much  as  the  men.  Lakshmi  Baiee, 
the  queen  of  Jahnsee,  held  the  entire  British  army  in 
check  for  the  space  of  twenty-four  hours  by  her  wonderful 
generalship,  and  she  would  probably  have  come  off  vic- 
torious if  she  had  not  been  shot  down  by  the  enemy. 
After  the  battle  Sir  Hugh  Rose,  the  English  commander, 
declared  that  the  best  man  on  the  enemy's  side  was  the 
brave  queen  Lakshmi  Baiee.  Another  courageous  and 
noble  woman,  Aus  Khoor,  was  placed  by  the  British 
government  on  the  throne  of  Pattiala,  an  utterly  disor- 
ganized and  revolted  state  in  the  Panjaub.  In  less  than 
one  year  she  had  by  her  wise  and  effective  administration 
changed  the  whole  condition  of  the  country,  subjugated 
the  rebellious  cities  and  villages,  increased  the  revenues, 
and  established  order,  security,  and  peace  everywhere. 
Alleah  Baiee,  the  Mahratta  queen  of  Malwah,  devoted  her- 
self for  the  space  of  twenty  years  with  unremitting  as- 
siduity to  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  her  people,  so 
that  Hindoos,  Buddhists,  Jains,  Parsees,  and  Mohammed- 
ans united  in  blessing  her  beneficent  rule ;  and  of  so  rare 
a  modesty  was  this  woman  that  she  ordered  a  book  which 
extolled  her  virtues  to  be  destroyed,  saying,  "Could  I 
have  been  so  infamous  as  to  neglect  the  welfare  and  hap- 
piness of  my  subjects?" 

In  the  historical  notices  of  the  rule  of  Hind6stanee 
women  nothing  is  more  conspicuous  than  their  fine,  intui- 
tive sense  of  honor  and  justice.  Clive,  Hastings,  Wel- 
lesley,  and  other  governors-general  of  India,  have  all  ac- 
knowledged their  high  appreciation  of  the  character  of 
the  Hindoo  women  they  have  known,  declaring  that  in 
many  instances,  under  the  administration  of  Ranees  and 


202  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

Begums,  India  has  been  more  prosperous  and  better  gov- 
erned than  under  the  rule  of  the  native  rajahs. 

The  present  ruler  of  Bhopal  is  a  lady  of  high  moral 
and  intellectual  attainments;  both  she  and  her  mother, 
who  preceded  her  as  head  of  the  state,  have  displayed  the 
highest  capacity  for  administration.  Both  have  been  ap- 
pointed knights  of  the  Star  of  India  by  the  empress  of 
India,  Queen  Victoria,  and  their  territory  is  the  best 
governed  native  state  in  India. 

Very  recently  the  queen  of  England  created  her  Asi- 
atic sisters,  the  queens  of  Oude  and  Pattiala,  knights  of 
the  Star  of  India  in  appreciation  of  their  wise  and  benef- 
icent rule  over  their  respective  kingdoms. 

During  the  dreadful  ravages  of  the  French  and  Eng- 
lish, or  the  Carnatic  War,  the  Hindoo  women  adminis- 
tered to  the  wounded  and  suffering  European  soldiers  of 
both  nations  with  equal  tenderness  and  impartiality,  caus- 
ing one  of  the  English  generals  to  report  to  head-quarters, 
"But  for  the  Indian  women,  who  better  understand  the 
qualities  of  love  and  tenderness  than  we  Europeans,  I 
should  have  left  half  of  my  wounded  soldiers  to  die  on 
the  battle-field.  They  washed  the  toiling  feet  of  the  poor 
tired  soldiers,  stanched  their  flowing  wounds,  and  bore 
them  in  their  united  arms  from  the  strife  of  the  battle- 
field to  the  quiet  and  shelter  of  their  own  little  huts." 

In  that  interesting  narrative  of  occurrences  at  Benares 
during  the  latter  days  of  the  month  of  June,  1857,  fur- 
nished by  a  soldier  of  the  Seventy-eighth  Highlanders, 
are  several  incidents  characteristic  of  the  devotion  and 
self-abnegation  of  the  Hindoo  women.  This  regiment  or 
company  of  soldiers,  in  its  work  of  retaliation  upon  the 
Indian  mutineers,  often  set  fire  to  whole  villages  in  order 
to  punish  the  rebel  sepoys  sheltered  by  them.  On  one  of 
these  occasions  a  humane  Highlander,  after  having  rescued 


HINDOO   PEACTICE  OF  STTTTEEISM.  203 

several  persons  from  the  fire,  rushed  into  the  flames  to  save 
a  young  woman  seated  calmly  by  a  dying  man,  whose  lips 
she  was  wetting  with  some  siste  *  while  the  fire  was  raging 
around  her.  No  inducement  of  self-preservation  could 
prevail  with  her  to  quit  his  side  till  they  were  both  car- 
ried out. 

Tenderness  and  self-devotion,  as  I  said  before,  are  the 
chief  characteristics  of  the  pure  Hindoo  woman.  Her 
love  for  her  offspring  amounts  to  a  passion,  and  she  is 
rarely  known  to  speak  hastily,  much  less  to  strike  or  ill 
use  her  child.  Her  devotion  as  a  wife  has  no  parallel  in 
the  history  of  the  world.  Marriage  is  a  sacred,  indissolu- 
ble bond,  which  even  death  itself  cannot  destroy,  and  the 
patient,  much -enduring  women  of  India  took  the  terrible 
yoke  of  sutteeism  upon  them  in  becoming  wives  as  calmly 
as  the  young  English  or  American  girl  puts  on  her  bridal 
veil,  and  have  gone  to  the  funeral  pile  for  centuries  with- 
out a  murmur. 

In  the  purer  and  more  ancient  period  of  Indian  civili- 
zation it  was  not  customary  to  force  a  widow  upon  the  fu- 
neral pyre  of  her  husband.  But  the  fearful  prospects  of 
Hindoo  widowhood,  which  made  her  future  existence  ap- 
pear to  her  a  long,  wearisome,  and  distasteful  series  of  sad 
duties,  made  her  gladly  choose  death  rather  than  life. 
Besides  which,  she  died  honored  and  happy,  having  by 
her  death  redeemed  her  husband  from  a  thousand  years 
or  penance.  By  degrees,  this  fearful  practice,  fostered  by 
the  priests  and  poets  of  India,  became  a  sacred  tradition 
carefully  handed  down  from  mother  to  daughter,  and  at 
last  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  sublime  sacrifice  on  the  mar- 
riage altar.  The  practice  of  sutteeism  has  been  virtually 
abolished  by  the  British  government  on  British-Indian 

*  A  peculiar  little  seed  from  which  a  cooling  drink  is  prepared.  A 
preparation  of  rice  and  water,  when  cooled,  is  often  called  "  siste." 


204  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

soil,  but  to  this  day  women  will  perform  painful  journeys 
to  places  still  governed  by  native  princes  in  order  to  burn 
themselves  alive. 

In  1834,  while  Dr.  Burnes  was  residing  at  Cutch,  a 
very  remarkable  case  of  sutteeism  took  place  in  that 
province.  The  only  wife  of  Bhooj-Rhai,  a  wealthy  and 
intimate  friend  of  the  rao  or  king,  had,  during  her  hus- 
band's illness,  declared  her  intention  of  performing  suttee 
at  his  death.  When  the  time  arrived  the  rao,  at  the  in- 
stance of  the  British  resident,  expostulated  with  her,  but 
all  in  vain.  Protection  was  also  offered  her  in  the  name 
of  the  British  government,  but  her  determination  remained 
firm  and  unshaken.  On  the  morning  appointed  for  the 
burning  of  Bhooj-Rhai's  body  a  funeral  pyre  was  erected 
immediately  in  front  of  Rao  Lakka's  tomb.  A  spot  was 
enclosed  with  a  circle  of  bamboos,  the  tops  of  which  were 
bound  together  in  the  form  of  a  beehive,  covered  with 
dried  grass  and  thorns ;  the  entrance  was  a  small  aperture 
on  the  left  side.  Crowds  of  gayly-dressed  people  flocked 
to  the  spot.  The  moment  the  victim,  a  remarkably  hand- 
some woman  about  thirty,  and  most  superbly  dressed,  ap- 
peared, accompanied  by  the  Brahman  priests,  her  relatives, 
and  the  dead  body  of  her  husband,  the  people  greeted  her 
with  loud  exclamations  of  praise  and  delight,  poured  forth 
benedictions  on  her  head  for  her  constancy  and  virtue,  and 
showered  flowers  on  her  path  as  she  was  borne  along; 
women  pressed  to  touch  the  hem  of  her  garments,  hoping 
thereby  to  be  absolved  from  all  sin  and  preserved  from  all 
evil  influences. 

Dr.  Burnes  addressed  the  woman,  desiring  to  know 
whether  the  act  she  was  about  to  perform  was  voluntary 
or  enforced  by  the  priests,  and  offered  her  again,  on  the 
part  of  the  British  government,  a  guarantee  for  the  pro- 
tection of  her  life  and  property.  Her  answer  was  calmly 


A   FIERY  CONSUMMATION.  205 

heroic,  and  she  could  not  be  dissuaded  from  her  purpose : 
"  I  die  of  my  own  free  will,"  said  she ;  "  give  me  back 
my  husband  and  I  will  consent  to  live."  Seeing  that 
nothing  could  move  her  from  her  resolution,  Dr.  Burnes 
despatched  a  message  to  the  rao  requesting  his  interference. 
He  returned  answer  that  it  was  beyond  his  power  to  arrest 
the  ceremony.  Everything  was  done,  but  in  vain,  to  save 
the  life  of  this  infatuated  woman,  and  at  length  the  cere- 
mony began.  Accompanied  by  the  officiating  Brahmans, 
the  widow  walked  seven  times  round  the  pyre,  repeating 
the  usual  mantras  or  prayers,  strewing  rice  and  cowries 
(small  shells)  on  the  ground,  sprinkling  holy  water  over 
her  friends  and  relatives  and  on  the  bystanders.  She  then 
removed  her  jewels  and  presented  them  to  her  nearest  rela- 
tions with  a  glad  smile.  The  Brahman  priest  then  pre- 
sented her  with  a  lighted  torch ;  taking  it  from  his  hand, 
she  stepped  through  the  fatal  entrance  and  calmly  seated 
herself  within  the  pile.  The  body  of  her  husband,  wrappped 
in  rich  kinkaub  (gold  cloth),  was  then  carried  seven  times 
round  the  pile,  and  finally  laid  across  her  knees.  The 
door  was  left  unclosed,  in  the  hope  that  the  deluded 
woman  might  yet  repent  and  escape.  Not  a  sigh,  not  a 
whisper,  broke  the  death-like  silence  of  the  crowd.  The 
intrepid  woman  held  up  her  torch  and  ignited  the  pile. 
Presently  a  slight  smoke,  curling  from  the  summit  of  the 
pyre,  gave  notice  that  the  fiery  ordeal  had  begun ;  then 
came  a  tongue  of  flame  darting  with  lightning  rapidity  to- 
ward the  clear  blue  sky,  announcing  that  the  sacrifice  was 
completed,  though  not  a  sound  betrayed  that  a  living  vic- 
tim was  within  holding  a  dead  corpse  in  her  arms.  So 
far  as  courage  and  silent,  resolute  determination  went,  she 
was  more  immovable  than  the  dead  clay  she  held  in  her 
last  fiery  embrace.  At  the  sight  of  the  ascending  crack- 
ling flames  wild  shouts  of  exultation  rent  the  air,  the 


206  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

drums  beat,  the  people  clapped  their  hands  in  delighted 
applause,  while  the  English  spectators  of  the  scene  with- 
drew, bearing  deep  compassion  in  their  hearts. 

After  the  fiery  consummation  had  taken  place,  on  the 
ground  where  the  sadhwee,  or  "pure  one/'  had  expired 
three  chatties,  or  earthen  vessels,  full  of  consecrated  balls 
of  rice,  were  placed  as  offerings  to  the  gods. 

The  Bombay  government  notified  the  rao  at  once  that 
the  repetition  of  such  inhuman  atrocities  would  not  again 
be  overlooked.*  This  had  no  doubt  some  effect  on  His 
Highness,  but  nevertheless  some  time  after  this  sacrifice 
the  beautiful  mother  of  the  rao  suddenly  fell  ill  and  died, 
and  one  of  her  female  attendants  voluntarily  buried  her- 
self alive  near  her  mistress,  in  order  that  she  should  be  in 
readiness  to  attend  her  in  a  future  state. 

It  is  very  difficult  for  the  Western  mind  to  comprehend 
this  utter  self-abnegation  on  the  part  of  Hindoos,  and  it 
can  only  be  accounted  for  by  their  deep  faith  in  the  uni- 
versal metamorphosis  of  life  and  the  unreality  of  form. 
Maya  f  is  illusion,  the  evanescent  dream  of  life,  which  is 
only  a  "  sleep  between  a  sleep,"  the  constant  flow  of  form 
into  form,  of  thought  into  thought,  of  life  into  other  life. 
Even  Brahm  does  not  recognize  himself  in  the  second 
person :  "  I  know  when  I  am  I,  but  who  am  I  when  I 
am  thou  ?"  It  renders  individuality  illusive,  intangible, 
and  uncertain,  so  that  to  the  Hindoos  life  and  possession 
assume  a  meaning  entirely  different  from  that  with  which 
we  are  disposed  to  regard  them.  It  is  true  that  life  loses 
half  its  charms,  but  death  is  robbed  of  its  terrors.  Life  is 
valued  only  in  so  far  as  they  are  prepared  to  lay  it  aside, 
or  rather  to  change  it  for  some  other  form ;  for  life  and 

*  See  Outch,  chapter  vi.,  by  Mr.  Postans,  1839. 

f  The  illusion  or  unreality  of  all  created  things,  according  to  Brah- 
man mystics. 


THE  BKAHMANISM  OF  TO-DAY.  207 

death  are  but  the  perpetual  ebb  and  flow,  the  advance  or 
retrograde,  of  soul  toward  "  the  Soul."  Under  this  ardent 
faith,  that  everything  above,  below,  beyond,  God  himself, 
is  illusion,  change,  metamorphosis,  is  hidden  the  secret 
that  helps  them  to  endure  suffering  not  only  without  a 
murmur,  but  with  joy,  and  to  count  death  itself  a  positive 
gain  in  the  presence  of  the  eternal,  immutable,  and  solid 
fact  of  life  to  be  found  at  last  in  the  final  reunion  of  the 
human  with  the  divine  life.  This  faith  so  potent,  so  ab- 
sorbing, so  far  reaching,  has  stamped  a  character  hereditary 
and  almost  ineffaceable  on  the  Hindoo  mind. 

To-day  Brahmanism  is  so  expansive  in  character  that  it 
takes  in  every  form  and  peculiarity  of  religious  sentiment. 
The  more  earnest  and  spiritual  have  grand  and  magnificent 
theories  of  God  that  supply  ample  food  for  the  imagination ; 
the  tender  have  laws  that  reach  down  almost  to  vegetable 
life ;  the  ignorant  and  vulgar  have  attractive  festivals  and 
endless  ceremonials  suited  to  engage  their  attention ;  the 
vicious  and  degraded  have  the  loves  and  frivolities  of  the 
gods  and  heroes,  whose  lives  encourage  pursuit  of  sensual 
gratifications ;  the  devotee  who  abandons  all  that  is  sensual 
for  spiritual  insight  has  text  upon  text  and  example  upon 
example,  taken  from  the  Puranas  *  and  from  the  actual 
lives  of  saints,  to  support  him  in  the  effort  of  finding 
God  at  last.  The  self-sacrificing  only  quits  an  illusion 
for  a  reality,  and  the  idolater  who  bows  down  before 
wood  and  stone  believes  that  he  sees  before  him  only  the 
form  of  a  divine  life  hidden  everywhere  in  matter.  Thus 
highest  religious  thought  and  life  and  lowest  sensual  indul- 
gence meet  together  in  the  theology  of  the  Brahmans. 

*  The  "  Puranas,"  or  Hindoo  Antiquities,  are  by  no  means  as  ancient 
as  they  are  named.  They  are  eighteen  volumes  in  all,  but  consisting 
of  no  less  than  one  million  six  hundred  thousand  sacred  lines  treating 
of  creation,  mythology,  tradition,  and  legend. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

From  Bombay  to  Poonah,  the  capital  of  the  Maha  Kashtra,  or  the  great 
Indian  kings. — Campooly. — The  Ascent  of  the  Bhor  Ghauts.* — Khan- 
dala. — Caves  of  Carlee  or  Karli. — "Puja  Chakra,"  or  the  famous 
Wheel-worship  of  the  Brahmans. — Poonah. — Kirki. — A  Visit  to  the 
Peishwa's  Palace. — Temple  of  Parvati. — The  Pundit  and  the  Brahman 
Priest  at  Prayer. — Sanskrit  and  English  Colleges  at  Poonah. — Sut- 
tee Monuments  at  Sangam. — Hindoo  Bankers,  etc. 

FROM  the  island  of  the  ancient  goddess  Bamba  D&vi  to 
Poonah,  the  capital  of  the  great  Indian  kings,  one  passes 
through  the  most  extravagant  contrasts  of  sights  and  scenes 
to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  wide  world — gorgeous  tem- 
ples of  gods  and  squallid  dwellings  of  men ;  fertile  plains 
and  arid  wastes;  towering  hills  crowned  with  ancient  forts 
and  temples,  now  lonely  or  deserted ;  deep  cave-structures 
in  the  hearts  of  isolated  mountains,  where  still  lie  written 
in  stone  the  romantic  culture  of  a  long-past  age. 

Our  dank,  which  was  simply  a  native  carriage  furnished 
with  horses  instead  of  bullocks,  trotted  briskly  along  the 
magnificent  "  Lion  Causeway."  Passing  rapidly  the  east- 
ern side  of  the  island  of  Salsette  to  Thannah,  and  crossing 
the  great  viaduct  and  round  the  promontory  of  Parsek,  we 
turned  to  the  south,  and  emerged  on  a  striking  plain  whose 
attractiveness  increased  at  every  mile  of  the  road  until  we 
began  the  descent  of  the  Bhpr  Jjrhauts  on  the  other  side. 

*  Bhor,  a  Mahratta  word  for  the  jujube  tree,  Zizyphus  juj iiba,  which  is 
found  among  these  mountains.  The  Ghauts,  or  "  Landing-Stairs,"  are 
the  two  ranges  of  mountains  extending  along  the  eastern  and  western 
shores  of  the  peninsula  of  Hindostan.  The  highest  peaks  in  the  north- 
western part  are  found  in  the  Mali  ablash war  Mountains,  the  summer 
retreat  of  the  Europeans  of  Bombay. 
208 


THE   DECCAN,   OR  SOUTH   COUNTRY.  209 

In  some  parts  our  road  lay  over  a  great  green  floor  soft 
as  velvet,  intersected  with  innumerable  river-like  channels, 
made  in  the  lowlands  by  the  ever-encroaching  sea.  Palm 
trees  fringed  these  salt-water  streams,  dotted  with  hun- 
dreds of  the  fanciful  sails  of  fishing-smacks,  bunder-boats, 
and  brightly  painted  canoes,  all  moving  to  and  fro  swiftly 
and  silently  under  the  shadows  of  the  hills,  which  rise  in 
fantastic  broken  forms  on  one  side.  There  is  no  sound 
far  or  near  to  break  the  spell;  the  silent,  forest-clad 
Ghauts  and  the  whole  sea-begirt  valley  lie  asleep  in  that 
enchanted  atmosphere. 

At  sunset  we  reached  the  village  of  Campoolj,  at  the 
foot  of  the  Ghauts — a  mean,  dirty,  and  terribly  unhealthy 
spot,  situated  immediately  under  the  lofty  barrier-wall  of 
rock  called  the  Bhor  Ghauts,  which  props  up  the  great 
table-land  of  the  Deccan  * — an  immense  plateau,  with  large 
rivers,  innumerable  hills  covered  with  forts,  magnificent 
towns,  cities,  villages,  and  many  millions  of  inhabitants. 

This  enormous  mountain-chain  of  the  Deccan,  the  first 
of  the  steps  that  rise  one  above  the  other  till  they  termi- 
nate in  the  great  plateau  of  Thibet,  the  highest  land  of 
the  Himalayas,  starts  up  almost  perpendicularly  from  the 
Konkan,  or  lowlands,  and  is  securely  fastened  together  by 
huge  buttresses  of  primeval  granite,  naked  and  frightful  to 
look  upon  in  some  places,  and  again  singularly  beautiful  in 
others.  A  railroad  aud  a  tunnel  have  since  been  built  across 
this  once  almost  inaccessible  barrier,  and  is  said  to  be  "  a 
noble  piece  of  engineering,"  for  the  Ghauts  extend  over 
thirteen  degrees  of  latitude  and  rise  in  some  parts  to  a 
height  of  five  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea. 

There  was  a  fine  bungalow,  built  by  Bala  Roa  Angria 
for  the  accommodation  of  European  travellers,  at  Cam- 

*  From  Dakshina  (Sanskrit),  "  South  Country." 
14 


210  LIFE  AND   TKAVEL,   IN   INDIA. 

pooly,  where  we  passed  the  first  hours  of  the  night  to 
await  some  palanquins  with  their  bearers  that  had  already 
started  up  the  Ghauts.  This  bungalow  is  only  occupied 
by  chance  wayfarers.  Here  we  took  up  our  abode,  and 
only  a  tribe  of  monkeys  showed  the  least  inclination  to 
prevent  our  doing  so.  There  were  sixteen  in  all ;  they 
were  evidently  enjoying  themselves  running  in  and  out 
of  the  half-deserted  building.  A  number  on  the  roof 
were  throwing  down  into  the  verandah  the  peculiar  nut- 
like  fruit  of  the  large  and  graceful  peepul  trees  that  over- 
shadowed the  house.  Some  were  peeping  in  at  the  doors 
and  windows,  and  some  were  swinging  themselves  from 
the  rafters.  The  moment  we  appeared  they  showed  regu- 
lar fight,  screamed,  chattered,  and  no  doubt  swore  at  us 
hard  and  fast  in  monkey  fashion ;  but,  what  seemed  to  me 
most  curious,  there  was  not  a  man  in  our  service  who 
would  perform  the  unkind  office  of  dispersing  them  from 
the  bungalow.  We  had  to  send  for  our  driver,  who,  being 
a  Musulman,  had  no  scruples  of  early  ancestry  or  primi- 
tive divinities.  He  took  off  his  cumberbund,  or  scarf, 
twisted  it  into  a  whip  with  a  knot  at  the  end,  and  des- 
patched the  bulk  of  the  tribe  back  into  the  forest  whence 
they  had  come.  Only  one  great  black-bearded  male  mon- 
key remained  on  the  roof  in  spite  of  the  brandished  rag ; 
when  we  were  at  supper  this  huge  creature  suddenly  sus- 
pended himself  downward  by  the  tail,  looked  in  upon  us, 
and,  opening  his  hideous  jaws,  uttered  some  fierce  impreca- 
tions, which,  as  our  pundit  would  say, "  were  perfectly  intel- 
ligible, but  not  translatable/'  and,  having  done  this,  he  van- 
ished, and  we  saw  nothing  more  of  him  for  that  evening. 
There  is  here  a  Hindoo  temple,  and  a  fine  reservoir 
which  occupies  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  ground.  This  res- 
ervoir and  the  adjoining  temple,  dedicated  to  Maha  Deo, 
were  built  by  that  most  subtle  of  Mahratta  ministers,  the 


TRAVELLING  IN  PALANQUINS. 


ASCENT  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS.  211 

famous  Nana  Furnaveez,  whose  real  name  was  Balaji 
Jahnardhan.  It  is  exceedingly  well  built ;  the  sides  are 
lined  and  the  banks  paved  with  fine  stoiie;  steps  lead 
everywhere  to  the  edge  of  the  water ;  a  magnificent  ban- 
yan tree  overshadows  the  artificial  lake,  and  near  it  flour- 
ishes a  fine  grove  of  mango  trees. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  us  men,  women,  and  children 
were  bathing,  swimming  and  disporting  themselves  in  the 
water.  Some  of  the  young  women  were  symmetry  it- 
self, with  exquisitely-proportioned,  slender  forms,  delicate 
hands  and  feet,  finely-poised  heads  and  necks.  Their  long 
hair  streamed  behind  them  in  the  water  as  they  swam 
merrily  about.  Others  were  just  stepping  out  of  the  tank 
arrayed  in  their  graceful  but  dripping  sarees,  which  they 
allow  to  dry  on  their  persons  while  they  proceed  to  fill 
their  water-jars,  and,  piling  them  one  above  the  other  on 
their  heads,  depart  to  their  respective  homes.  These  wo- 
men seemed  very  innocent  and  child-like,  and  a  closer  ac- 
quaintance with  several  high-bred  and  true  Hindoos  proved 
that  these  were  their  distinguishing  characteristics. 

At  three  o'clock  next  morning  we  began  the  ascent  of 
the  Ghauts  in  palanquins,  or,  as  they  are  commonly  called, 
palkees,  with  coolies  to  transport  our  baggage  and  provis- 
ions. About  sunrise  we  reached  a  very  remarkable  point 
in  these  mountains,  a  deep  and  frightful-looking  chasm. 
We  alighted  from  our  palkees  and  went  over  this  part  of 
the  Ghauts  on  foot.  At  length  we  were  directed  as  near 
as  we  dared  to  approach  the  spot  where  the  mountain  was 
split  in  two.*  Not  a  sound  was  heard  anywhere.  As  we 
stood  there  the  shadows  of  the  crags  brightened  every 

*  This  chain  is  now  bridged  over  by  a  viaduct  which  once  crumbled 
down  and  disappeared  into  the  depths  below  in  the  presence  of  a  brave 
English  engine-driver,  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  arrest  the  train, 
that  was  speeding  on  its  way  toward  it,  just,  in  time  to  save  many  valu- 
able lives. 


212  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

moment,  now  shimmered  along  the  sides,  and  shed  flicker- 
ing shafts  of  light  far  down  upon  the  midnight  darkness 
below.  It  was  a  glorious  picture — the  depth  below  and 
the  height  above,  on  whose  summits  the  plumes  of  the 
palm  trees  waved  their  branches  to  the  rising  sun. 

The  atmosphere  was  remarkably  clear,  and  this  helped 
us  to  see  a  great  distance  with  the  naked  eye.  On  one 
side  gently-falling  slopes  gave  place  to  abrupt  precipices 
and  innumerable  peaks,  and  on  the  other  far  below  were 
smiling  plains,  each  more  beautiful  than  the  other  in  form 
and  color,  affording  now  and  then  most  magical  glimpses 
of  green  fields  dotted  with  great  reservoirs  that  looked 
like  silvery  spots,  and  cozy  little  Hindoo  villages  nestling 
amid  charming  groves  and  palm-plantations. 

As  the  story  goes,  the  duke  of  Wellington,  then  a  sim- 
ple colonel,  cast  all  his  guns  into  one  of  these  reservoirs 
when  he  found  no  means  of  conveying  them  any  farther, 
lest  they  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  as  he 
marched  over  the  same  road  to  Poonah  and  there  quelled 
the  famous  Mahratta  rebellion  of  1802. 

Now  on  foot  and  now  in  palkees  we  at  length  ascended 
these  Ghauts,  sweeping  round  and  round,  now  ascending, 
now  descending,  passing  by  dreadful  precipices,  drawing 
breath  under  quaint  natural  bowers,  following  winding 
paths,  and  coming  suddenly  upon  foaming  cascades  leap- 
ing from  rock  to  rock.  So  we  went  from  beauty  to  ever- 
increasing  beauty,  till  we  reached  the  village  of  Khan- 
dala,  on  the  very  top  of  the  mountain,  near  which  a  trav- 
ellers' bungalow  stands  with  open  arms — or  verandahs — 
to  receive  us.  And  here  was  opened  to  us  the  full  en- 
chantments of  the  fairyland  through  which  we  had  been 
passing  upward.  All  of  a  sudden  from  this  high  peak 
we  beheld  a  most  beautiful  and  varied  picture — sharp 
peaks  of  every  form  and  shape  and  size,  tremendous 


A  VARIED  SCENE.  213 

ravines,  towering  mountains,  leaping  waterfalls,  sloping 
hillsides,  and  waving  palms  and  mountain-forests,  clearly 
outlined  against  a  deep-blue  sky,  and  over  all  these  varied 
forms  of  nature  the  sunlight  floats  and  melts,  a  sea  of  gold. 
No  artist,  however  gifted,  no  pencil,  however  matchless, 
can  catch  and  transfer  to  canvas  the  entrancing  beauties 
of  the  views  as  seen  from  the  top  of  the  Bohr  Ghauts  and 
at  such  a  moment. 

This  lovely  spot  has  for  more  than  twenty  years  been 
the  favorite  retreat  of  the  wealthy  and  change-seeking  in- 
habitants of  Bombay,  and  now  that  the  railway  is  opened 
it  is  much  more  easily  reached. 

The  ravines  in  this  neighborhood  harbor  many  wild 
beasts,  and  it  is  said  that  at  night  tigers,  leopards,  and 
bears  are  often  seen  prowling  about  in  search  of  prey. 
The  natives  raise  wild  shouts  when  they  think  they  hear 
or  see  them,  and  thus  frighten  them  away. 

The  travellers'  bungalow  at  Khandala  is  most  pic- 
turesquely situated  on  the  edge  of  a  deep  ravine.  On  the 
right  is  a  small  lake  or  reservoir  adjoining  the  residence 
of  the  late  Parsee  knight,  Sir  Jamsetjee  Jeeboy.  To  the 
east  is  a  magnificent  hill,  called  the  Dukejs_ffose?  from 
its  supposed  likeness  to  that  of  Wellington.  From  this 
point  there  are  splendid  views.  The  pretty  little  moun- 
tain-village of  Khandala  is  close  by,  and  as  we  pass  on  to 
Karli  we  skirt  the  beautiful  woods  of  Lanauli,*  so  often 
quoted  in  Mahratta  song,  once  the  hunting-grounds  of  the 
rulers  of  the  Deccan,  and  still  abounding  in  wild  boars 
and  other  game. 

We  spent  four  days  at  the  bungalow  here,  and,  what 
was  more,  saw  every  sun  that  rose  and  set  on  these  moun- 
tains.    Each  day  was  a  counterpart  of  the  preceding  one, 
clear  and  bright.     We  traversed  some  miles  of  the  sur- 
*  A  small  village  on  the  Khandala  Hills. 


214  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

rounding  country  to  visit  hill-forts,  caves,  and  viharas, 
which  abound  in  this  neighborhood. 

Our  next  halting-place  was  at  the  village  of  Karli,  a 
cluster  of  Hindoo  houses  hid  amidst  a  fine  grove  of  trees. 
There  was  a  nice  bungalow  here,  and  even  barracks  to 
hold  about  two  hundred  men. 

The  most  famous  cave  is  that  of  Karli.  It  far  sur- 
passed those  we  had  visited  on  the  islands  of  Salsette  and 
Elephanta,  and  took  us  very  much  by  surprise.  The 
caves  are  on  a  hill  about  two  miles  or  more  from  the 
travellers'  bungalow.  We  entered  seemingly  into  the 
heart  of  the  mountain,  and  found  ourselves  in  the  body 
of  the  temple  or  cave,  which  is  separated  from  the  side- 
aisles  by  fifteen  columns  of  magnificent  design  and  work- 
manship ;  on  each  side,  on  the  upper  part  of  each  of  these 
columns,  are  two  kneeling  elephants,  and  on  each  elephant 
are  two  seated  human  figures,  sometimes  a  male  and  fe- 
male, with  their  arms  around  each  other's  shoulders 
sometimes  the  figures  are  both  female.  The  effect  is  re- 
markably striking.  The  chaitya*  is  plain  and  very  solid, 
and  behind  it  are  seven  plain  octagonal  pillars  without  any 
ornamentation.  The  interior  of  the  temple  seems  to  have 
been  lined  with  woodwork.  Right  in  front  of  the  arched 
roof  or  hall  is  a  second  screen,  as  at  the  great  cave  at  Sal- 
sette. It  is  composed  of  plain  octagonal  columns  with 
pilasters.  Over  these  is  a  mass  of  wall  crowned  with  a 
superstructure  of  four  dwarf  pillars;  the  whole  of  this 
appears  to  have  been  covered  with  wooden  ornaments. f 
These  are  thought  to  have  been  a  broad  balcony  in  front 
of  the  plain  wall,  supported  by  two  bold  wooden  brackets 

*  An  immense  hemispherical  altar  of  stone  with  a  kind  of  wooden 
umbrella  spreading  above,  beneath  which  lies  interred  some  relic  of  the 
god  to  whom  the  temple  is  dedicated. 

t  See  Fergusson's  Rock-cut  Temples  of  India,  p.  27. 


THE  FAMOUS  CAVE  OF  KARLI.  215 

from  the  two  piers.  This  balcony  is  thought  to  have 
served  the  purpose  of  a  music-gallery  or  nagara  khanah, 
as  are  still  found  in  the  Jain  temples  to-day.  Every- 
thing here  is  executed  in  the  finest  style ;  the  bas-reliefs, 
the  windows,  the  doors,  the  halls,  roofs,  vestibules,  and 
figures  are  each,  one  and  all,  beautifully  executed.  The 
colossal  figure  of  the  Buddha  perched  on  a  lotos  throne, 
with  angels  hovering  around  him,  his  hands  folded  in 
everlasting  repose  resting  on  his  knees,  is  grand  and  im- 
posing. On  the  walls  are  carved  many  a  beautiful  flower, 
some  not  unlike  those  we  passed  in  our  morning's  ride, 
with  strange  characters  and  symbol  after  symbol  replete 
with  the  wisdom  of  the  Buddhists.  Rows  of  half-nude 
gigantic  women,  elephants,  lions,  birds,  and  beasts  relate 
in  solid  stone  the  triumphs  of  Buddhism  over  Brahman- 
ism.  Dr.  Stevenson  dates  the  building  of  this  temple  at 
seventy  years  before  Christ ;  executed,  according  to  him, 
by  the  emperor  Devabhute,  under  the  care  of  Xenocrates 
or  Dheunuka-Kati. .  There  has  been,  however,  much 
doubt  thrown  by  recent  explorers  on  the  dates  given  by 
Dr.  Stevenson.  The  inscriptions  under  the  gateway  are 
thought  to  place  beyond  dispute  the  dates  of  these  scat- 
tered excavations,  so  similar  in  point  of  architecture,  at 
the  second  century  before  Christ  and  not  long  after  the 
great  Buddhist  dispersion  from  North-western  Hindostan 
by  the  Brahmans. 

A  number  of  queer-looking  Brahman  priests  of  the 
Sivite  *  sect,  who  take  care  of  these  caves  and  encourage 
pilgrims  to  them,  came  out  to  see  us,  and,  finding  our  pun- 
dit to  be  a  countryman,  though  he  was  not  of  their  sect, 
invited  us  to  witness  their  worship  in  a  vihara  adjoining. 

It  was  difficult  to  believe  that  the  quiet,  dark,  handsome 
men  who  spoke  to  us  could  be  such  dupes  as  they  seemed 
*  Followers  of  the  god  Siva  or  Shiva. 


216  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

while  at  worship.  In  the  largest  of  the  caves  was  a 
huge,  rude  machine  very  like  a  common  wheel,  in  the 
centre  of  which  was  a  round  place  for  a  fire,  and  another 
and  smaller  fireplace  on  each  of  the  seven  spokes  of  the 
wheel.  To  the  wheel  was  attached  a  long  pole,  and  to 
this  pole  was  tied  a  large-eyed,  patient-looking  Brahmanee 
cow  with  bells  around  her  neck.  To  the  cord  which  fast- 
ened these  bells  was  tied  a  long  rope,  and  this  rope  was 
held  by  a  Yoghee,  a  sort  of  mystic  Brahman  priest,  who 
had  nothing  on  but  a  wisp  of  straw  around  his  loins,  and 
a  half-starved-looking  dog  at  his  heels. 

The  moment  the  sun  sank  behind  the  mountains  a 
white-robed  priest  issued  from  one  of  the  smaller  caves 
and  placed  a  little  earthen  lamp,  containing  a  long  wick 
and  some  cocoanut  oil,  in  each  one  of  the  receptacles  for 
the  fires.  This  done,  the  deafening  sounds  of  multitud- 
inous drums  were  heard  from  the  secret  recesses  of  the 
intermediate  caves.  At  this,  away  went  the  Yoghee,  the 
dog,  the  cow,  and  the  wheel,  with  the  seven  tiny  lamps 
revolving  around  the  larger  one  in  the  centre.  This 
furious  dance  continued,  the  dog  barking,  the  cow  lowing, 
and  the  drums  beating,  for  an  hour,  and  then  another 
Yoghee  stepped  forward  and  relieved  the  first  one.  There 
were  twelve  priests,  or  rather  ascetics,  for  the  twelve 
hours  of  the  night,  and  this  was  the  celebrated  "puja 
chakra,"  or  wheel-worship,  of  the  ancient  Brahmans. 

We  could  not  wait,  of  course,  to  see  the  end  of  this 
strange,  wild,  deafening  performance.  I  nearly  fainted 
from  the  oppressive  heat  and  disagreeable  odors  of  the 
cave,  and  was  obliged  to  seek  relief  in  the  open  air. 
Here  we  found  the  Yoghee  who  had  begun  the  dance 
seated  on  a  stone  clothed  in  a  long  dusky  mantle  and  evi- 
dently enjoying  the  evening  breeze.  He  answered  me  in 
pure  Hindostanee,  and  told  me  that  the  central  fire  or 


THE   PUJA-CHAKRA.  217 

lamp  represented  the  Surya,  or  the  Sun,  the  smaller  ones 
the  seven  planets,  naming  each  one — Soma,  the  Moon; 
Mangala,  Mars;  Buddh,  Mercury;  Virhaspati,  Jupiter; 
Sukra,  Venus ;  Sani,  Saturn ;  Deva  Bheemi,  the  Earth. 
The  cow  stood  for  Providence,  or,  as  he  termed  it,  the 
All-giver ;  he  himself  for  mankind ;  while  the  dog  was 
the  emblem  of  the  human  family ;  his  dance  was  in  honor 
of  the  solar  system. 

A  look  of  supreme  satisfaction  overspread  his  face 
as  he  informed  me  that  the  deep  spiritual  meaning  which 
was  conveyed  to  his  heart  was  not  in  the  wheel  or 
in  the  fires,  but  in  himself  as  he  thought  of  the  efficacy 
of  the  daily  sacrifice  which  he  offered  to  the  gods,  which 
convinced  me  that  he  at  least  firmly  believed  that  the  re- 
turn of  the  sun-god  to  his  place  in  the  heavens  every  morn- 
ing was  due  to  his  efforts  and  that  of  his  brethren  in  per- 
forming from  one  end  of  the  year  to  the  other  this  self- 
imposed  mystic  night-dance  in  honor  of  the  solar  system. 

The  moon  had  risen  as  we  put  our  little  tattoos'  *  faces 
Khandala-ward  and  trotted  away  from  the  Karli  village 
and  the  Hindoo  ascetics.  We  had  a  very  amusing  half- 
broken  and  half-rattling  talk  with  our  pundit,  who  in- 
sisted that  there  was  nothing  more  holy  in  the  way  of 
worship  than  the  "puja  chakra,"  which  we  had  just 
seen.  When  my  husband  irreverently  inquired,  "  If  the 
wheel-worship  was  not  a  gentle  hint  to  the  sun  to  be  up 
and  about  his  business  every  morning,"  our  good  guide 
and  teacher  became  suddenly  grave  and  silent,  and  not 
another  word  would  he  say  to  us  on  the  subject  of  this 
curious  worship. 

Next  day  we  climbed  a  hill  to  see  the  oldjfort  of  Lok- 
garha,  which  was  twice  captured  from  the  Mahrattas  by 
the  East  India  Company's  generals.     It  occupies  a  com- 
*  The  Mahratta  horses. 


218  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

manding  position,  and  we  enjoyed  the  view  from  it. 
This  grand  old  Mahratta  fortress  is  full  of  historical  in- 
terest. It  was  here  that  the  beautiful  and  astute  widow 
of  Nana  Furnaveez,  the  most  famous  of  the  Mahratta 
ministers,  took  refuge,  and  the  killadhar,  or  commander 
of  the  fort,  obtained  for  her  from  General  Wellesley  not 
only  a  guarantee  of  safety,  but  an  annual  pension  of  twelve 
thousand  rupees.  On  our  return  ride  we  passed  through 
a  wild  but  beautiful  part  of  the  hills.  We  saw  and  heard 
the  stately  pea-fowl  that  are  found  in  this  neighborhood ; 
they  added  very  much  to  the  wild,  luxuriant  beauty  of 
the  woods. 

On  the  following  morning  we  bade  adieu  to  the  beau- 
tiful Bohr  Ghauts.  There  was  a  great  deal  more  of  love- 
liness to  be  seen  for  many  a  mile  until  we  reached  the 
slope  of  the  mountains,  which  is  gradual  rather  than  ab- 
rupt, as  it  is  on  the  opposite  side,  and  after  that  it  was  of 
no  consequence  at  all  where  we  looked.  We  were  riding 
down  a  bleak,  rugged,  desolate  country,  slightly  inclined ; 
this  was  that  immense  triangular  plateau  between  the 
Ghaut  districts  on  the  east  and  west  and  the  great  Vind- 
hiya  chain  on  the  north.  As  we  approached  Poonah  we 
found  the  views  more  interesting — fields  of  wheat,  maize, 
orchards  of  fruit  trees,  plantain-groves,  and  the  peepul, 
tamarind,  and  palm  waving  above  them  all.  When  we 
reached  the  bridge  that  spans  the  Moota  River,  it  was 
near  sunset.  A  flood  of  light  poured  from  the  sky  over 
hill  and  dale  and  valley,  gilding  with  unusual  brilliancy 
the  venerable  roofs  of  Parbuttee  and  the  half-ruined  tur- 
retted  walls  of  the  Peishwa's  palace. 

Poonah,  with  the  adjoining  military  station  at  Kirkee, 
where  the  scenery,  owing  to  the  junction  of  the  Moota 
and  MoolaJSivers,  is  very  picturesque,  has  a  very  respect- 
able English  population.  But  the  majority  of  the  natives 


THE  CITY   OF    POONAH.  219 

are  almost  exclusively  Brahmans  of  the  Deccan  and  Hin- 
doos from  various  parts  of  Hindostan. 

This  spot  is  famous  in  Mahratta  annals.  In  1599 
Poonah  and  Supah  were  made  over  to  Mahlaji  Bhonsli, 
grandfather  of  the  renowned  Sivaji,  by  the  government 
of  the  Nizam.  In  1750  it  was  made  the  capital  of  the 
Maharashtra  empire  under  Balaji  Baji  Rao.  It  was  once 
more  seized  and  destroyed  by  the  Nizam's  forces,  by  Alih 
Shah,  who  had  established  the  Mohgul  empire  at  Haider- 
abad  in  the  Deccan.  And  here  again  another  battle 
took  place  in  1802,  when  Jeshwant  Eao  Holkar  defeated 
the  combined  armies  of  the  Peishwa  and  Scindhia. 

With  our  usual  good-fortune  we  procured  a  house  at 
Kirkee  to  stay  in  during  our  visit  to  this  neighborhood. 
It  was  the  residence  of  a  moolah,  a  Mohammedan  bishop, 
and  must  have  been  built  many  years  ago.  It  is  a  beau- 
tiful spot.  A  British  cavalry  regiment  is  stationed  here, 
and  here  was  fought  the  battle  in  which  the  English 
gained  one  of  their  most  remarkable  Indian  victories  over 
the  last  Peishwa. 

The  native  city  is  divided  into  seven  quarters  and  dedi- 
cated to  the  seven  high  angels  or  planets  after  whom  the 
days  of  the  week  are  named. 

The  streets  of  the  city  of  Poonah  are  more  picturesque 
and  far  more  Oriental  than  even  those  of  Bombay.  The 
principal  street  is  long,  wide,  and  furnished  with  side- 
walks, with  shops  of  all  sizes  and  all  kinds  of  mer- 
chandise, having  open  fronts,  and  the  goods  are  exposed 
on  inclined  platforms.  The  lanes  and  thoroughfares  are 
thronged  with  people  of  all  nationalities — the  sedate  and 
white-robed  Brahman;  the  handsome  Hindoo;  the  refined 
and  delicate-looking  Hindoo  woman  in  her  flowing  grace- 
ful saree  and  pretty  red  sandals  (for  in  this  city  Moham- 
medan influence  has  not  yet  reached  the  point  which  it 


220  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

has  in  other  parts  of  India,  and  the  women  are  not  cooped 
up  in  harems,  but  are  met  everywhere  in  the  streets,  tem- 
ples, and  bazaars) ;  the  pompously-dressed  Musulman,  Arab, 
and  Mahratta  horsemen  completely  armed,  prancing  along 
on  their  splendid  chargers ;  Mahratta  foot-soldiers  with  their 
lordly  swagger,  equipped  with  sword  and  shield  and  buck- 
ler ;  emaciated  devotees,  fakeers,  and  mendicants  of  all  de- 
nominations, some  wholly  nude,  others  clothed  in  the  skins 
of  wild  beasts,  and  yet  others  covered  with  dust  and  paint 
and  ashes  of  cow-ordure;  fat,  lazy-looking  Brahmanee 
bulls;  Jews,  Parsees,  native  Portuguese  Christians,  and 
occasionally  a  British  Mahratta  sepoy  in  his  neat  undress 
uniform.  This  moving  picture,  so  strange  and  incon- 
gruous, had  the  additional  fascination  of  state  elephants ; 
splendid  cavalcades  of  the  Peishwa's  troops  decked  out  in 
brilliant  colors  and  accompanied  by  richly-caparisoned  led 
horses ;  camels  trotting  along  at  a  quick  pace  to  the  sound 
of  merry  little  tinkling  bells  suspended  from  their  necks ; 
fighting  rams,  kept  for  combats,  one  of  the  favorite  Mah- 
ratta pastimes,  parading  the  streets  in  long  rows,  now 
leaping  and  batting  at  dreamy  Brahmanee-  cows.  Add 
to  all  this  that  almost  every  day  in  the  week  there  are 
crowded  markets,  religious  processions,  passing  funerals 
with  gayly-dressed  corpses  seated  on  the  biers,  looking 
ghastly  enough  on  this  dancing  bubbling  current  of  hu- 
man life,  and  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  sights 
and  scenes  to  be  met  with  in  the  capital  of  the  Mahratta 
empire. 

At  my  first  arrival  at  Poonah  I  remember  seeing  some 
Hindoo  children  at  play  in  the  square.  They  were  play- 
ing at  marbles  in  all  respects  like  the  English  game,  save 
that  the  boys  had  nothing  in  the  world  on  but  a  sacred 
cord  round  their  shoulders  and  some  gold  and  silver  orna- 
ments. New-born  infants  could  not  have  been  more  un- 


HISTORICAL  PLACES  OF  POONAH.  221 

conscious  than  they  were.  The  boy  who  won,  a  lad  about 
eight  or  nine,  seemed  the  least  elated  of  the  party.  The 
one  who  lost  had  a  better  time ;  he  clapped  the  winner  on 
the  back  and  cheered  him  all  the  way  across  the  square, 
crying,  "  Khoop !  khoop !"  ("  Fine !  fine !").  There  were 
thirty  or  more  nude  little  fellows  watching  the  play  with 
intense  interest,  and  evidently  having  the  most  enjoyment 
out  of  it,  to  judge  from  the  wild  shouts  of  applause  with 
which  they  hailed  the  victor,  screaming  at  the  very  top 
of  their  lungs,  "  Marliah !  marliah  !"  ("  Beaten !  beaten  !"). 
How  many  English  or  American  boys  would  behave  so 
well? 

It  would  be  simply  impossible  to  enumerate  all  the 
places  of  historical  interest  to  be  found  here.  The  hill- 
sides are  everywhere  crowned  with  forts  and  religious  and 
military  strongholds,  where  many  a  battle  has  been  fought 
and  won,  and  many  a  treaty  formed  only  to  be  broken, 
both  by  the  servants  of  the  East  India  Company  and  the 
contending  Mahratta  and  Mohgul  forces,  on  this  debatable 
land  of  the  Hindoos,  Mohguls,  and  English  conquerors. 

There  are  Bambura,  or  Bampoora,  whence  in  former 
times  an  enormous  gun,  the  Mahratta  curfew,  boomed  sun- 
set warnings  to  honest  men  to  betake  themselves  home ; 
and  Dapooree,  where  Colonel  Ford,  C.  B.,  built  a  palatial 
residenceTancl  raised  and  commanded  a  brigade  of  mag- 
nificent Mahratta  troops  after  the  European  fashion  for 
the  service  of  the  Peishwa  Baji  Rao. 

At  Chinchore,  near  by,  a  boy  is  still  worshipped  as  God 
by  the  credulous  natives.  The  originator  of  this  curious 
deception  was  one  Marabo,  who  is  said  to  have  restored 
sight  to  a  blind  girl,  and  who  effected  a  like  miraculous 
cure  for  the  great  Sivaji.*  In  order  to  prove  his  divinity, 

*  Founder  of  the  Mahratta  empire,  born  at  Junir,  about  fifty  miles 
from  Poonah,  in  the  year  1627. 


222  LIFE  AND  TKAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

this  Marabo  caused  himself  to  be  buried  alive  in  a  sitting 
posture  with  a  holy  book  in  his  hands.  His  son  succeeded 
'  him  as  God.  For  several  miracles  performed  by  the  lat- 
ter, especially  the  feat  of  transforming  a  piece  of  cow's 
flesh  into  roses,  the  emperor  of  Delhi,  Alamghir,  presented 
to  this  man-god  Narayana  eight  villages  in  perpetuity. 

Then  there  is  another  curious  old  fort,  Chakhan,*  with 
its  ramparts  and  parapets  constructed,  according  to  Hin- 
doo story,  by  an  Abyssian  chief  named  Palighar,  A.  D. 
1295.  In  1818  it  was  captured  by  the  troops  of  the  East 
India  Company.  And  last,  but  not  least,  there  is  the  fa- 
mous Sing^garh,  u  the  lion's  den,"  a  vast  triangular-shaped 
fortress,  where  the  brave  Mahwalee  soldiers,  headed  by  the 
braver  Tanaji  Malysreh,  Sivaji's  general,  fought  against 
the  Rajpoots.  The  latter  lost  his  life  after  he  had  cap- 
tured from  the  Rajpoots  this  stronghold  of  the  Mahrattas, 
causing  Sivaji  to  exclaim,  "The  den  is  taken,  but  the 
lion,  alas !  is  slain." 

This  fortress  was  finally  captured  by  the  English  during 
the  Mahratta  and  English  war.  The  ascent  is  made  by 
palanquins.  Splendid  trees  and  many  a  wild  flower 
crown  the  hillsides,  creeping  over  gate  and  tower  and 
moat,  spreading  beauty  and  gladness  where  once  was  heard 
the  perpetual  war-cry  of  deadly  combatants. 

We  visited  the  Peishwa's  palace.  Our  syce,  or  groom, 
looked  like  a  bedizened  prince  as  he  led  the  way  with  his 
gay  turban  and  brilliant  sash.  We  kept  close  to  his 
horse's  heels,  and  the  pundit,  whose  long  white  robe  gave 
him  the  appearance  of  a  lady  on  horseback,  brought  up 
the  rear. 

The  palace,  temples,  and  pavilions  of  the  late  Peishwa 

*  This  fort  is  reputed  to  be  of  great  antiquity,  and  was  constructed 
by  Palighar,  but  as  to  who  he  was,  or  how  he  got  there,  they  do  not 
pretend  to  know. 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  PARVATI.          223 

all  cluster  about  a  most  beautiful  hill  called  Parbuttge,  a 
corruption  of  the  Sanskrit  word  Pharvati,  "  Sacred  Moun- 
tain." A  magnificent  garden  called  "  Hira  Bdgh  "  ("  the 
gem  or  diamond  garden  "),  and  a  fine  reservoir  with  an  old 
pavilion  on  its  bank,  are  some  of  the  features  of  this  sa- 
cred spot.  The  palace  is  in  no  way  worthy  of  notice,  and 
is  fast  crumbling  away,  but  it  is  approached  by  a  magnif- 
icent staircase  of  stone  steps  cut  out  of  the  mountain,  and 
so  gradual  that  we  rode  up  it  on  horseback.  The  hill  is 
covered  with  temples.  The  view  is  very  fine ;  seen  over 
the  lake  with  its  pretty  little  tree-covered  islands  and  wide 
fields  studded  with  palm-  and  mango-plantations,  it  was 
one  vast  beautiful  picture. 

Our  syce  pointed  out  to  us  the  spot  where  a  young 
Mahratta  prince  dashed  himself  headlong  from  his  pa- 
vilion because  he  was  publicly  reprimanded  for  some 
breach  of  etiquette  by  his  prime  minister,  Nana  Furna- 
veez. 

There  was  much  to  interest  us,  however,  in  the  tem- 
ples, that  are  still  kept  in  good  repair,  filled  with  the 
monstrous  idols  of  the  Hindoos ;  and  here  are  held  great 
annual  festivals  in  their  honor.  Over  two  hundred  Brah- 
man priests  worship  here,  and  are  supported  by  the  vol- 
untary contributions  made  to  their  shrines. 

We  went  into  the  temple  of  Parvati.  Our  pundit  led 
the  way,  accompanied  by  a  singularly  interesting  Mahratta 
Brahman  priest,  but  I  noticed  that  the  sectarian  marks  on 
his  forehead  and  those  on  the  pundit's  were  very  different. 
The  former  wore  the  marks  of  Siva,  two  straight  lines 
crossed,  and  the  pundit  those  of  Maha"  D6o,  two  concen- 
tric circles  with  a  straight  line.  Before  our  eyes  had  be- 
come accustomed  to  "the  dim  religious  light"  of  this 
temple,  the  power  of  which  the  Hindoos  so  well  under- 
stand, I  looked  and  saw  right  in  front  of  me,  and  imme- 


224  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL,   IN   INDIA. 

d  lately  at  the  foot  of  the  altar,  the  prostrate  figure  of  the 
pundit,  and  the  Brahman  priest  beside  him,  their  arms  and 
hands  stretched  out,  their  faces  hidden  on  the  pavement, 
their  limbs  stiff  and  rigid,  and  their  long  white  robes 
clinging  to  their  persons. 

Within  full  sight  and  hearing  of  the  beauty  of  Chris- 
tianity, with  all  the  wonders  and  marvels  of  scientific  dis- 
coveries taught  hard  by  in  the  public  native  school  and  in 
the  Sanskrit  college,  here  were  these  men,  neither  of  whom 
lacked  intellectual  training,  bowing  down  to  idols  of  wood 
and  stone.  Surely,  the  more  earnest  and  spiritual  of  these 
lowly  worshippers  see  something  of  the  truth,  beauty,  and 
goodness  of  God,  denied  to  less  ardent  natures,  and  only 
discernible  with  closed  eyes  and  in  moments  of  deep,  silent 
emotion. 

There  is  a  massive  silver  statue  of  Siva  seated  on  the 
altar,  holding  on  his  knees  his  wife  Parvati  and  their  son 
Ganesa.  These  smaller  idols,  it  is  said,  are  of  pure  gold ; 
a  princely  fortune  in  precious  gems  adorns  their  head- 
dresses, their  necks,  and  gleams  out  of  their  eyes.  There 
were  dusky  arches  and  dingy,  time-stained  columns  and 
all  kinds  of  figures  on  the  walls,  and  over  them  all  a 
smoky  atmosphere  and  an  odor  of  incense  mingled  with 
that  of  burnt-offerings. 

We  went  out  almost  faster  than  we  had  gone  in.  Pun- 
dit and  his  guru,  or  spiritual  guide,  were  still  going  through 
some  genuflexions.  A  Brahman  is  a  Brahman  indeed,  but 
are  Christians  always  the  followers  of  Jesus?  We  sat 
down  on  the  steps  of  the  temple,  and  by  and  by  the  pun- 
dit came  out  with  his  spiritual  guide,  looking  calm  and 
serene. 

We  visited  the  English  school  for  the  natives  in  the 
Budhwar  *  portion  of  the  city,  also  the  Sanskrit  college, 

*  The  city  of  Poonah  is  divided  into  seven  quarters,  corresponding 


SUTTEE   MONUMENTS   AT   SANGAM.  225 

and  saw  there  hundreds  of  handsome,  eager-looking  stu- 
dents, and  we  were  assured  that  it  produced  men  of  very 
great  learning,  who  could  hold  their  own  in  Sanskrit, 
Mahratta,  Hindostanee,  and  English  even,  with  some  of 
the  greatest  scholars  in  England,  France,  or  Germany. 

A  spot  is  shown  at  Sangam,  not  far  from  where  we 
took  up  our  abode,  where  the  devoted  Hindoo  widows 
formerly  underwent  cremation  with  the  dead  bodies  of 
their  husbands.  These  monuments  can  only  be  seen 
when  the  water  at  Sangam  (the  spot  where  the  Moola 
and  Moota  Rivers  meet)  is  at  its  lowest  ebb.  They  con- 
sist of  flat  stones  or  slabs  laid  in  the  river-bed,  with  two 
female  feet  engraved  on  each  of  them.  Even  in  this,  the 
most  hideous  and  barbaric  of  Hindoo  customs,  is  found 
lingering  a  beautiful  and  tender  sentiment.  The  feet 
engraved  on  the  slabs  prove  the  willingness  with  which 
these  unknown  women  followed  their  loved  ones  through 
the  ordeal  of  a  fiery  death  into  the  world  beyond,  and  the 
meeting  of  the  two  rivers  typifies  the  final  reunion  of  their 
souls. 

We  visited  a  banker's  office  in  the  native  city  of  Poonah. 
This  bank,  in  which  large  sums  are  deposited  and  extensive 
business  transacted,  was  nothing  but  a  mud  house  plastered 
over  within  and  without.  The  counter  was  an  inclined 
platform  reaching  from  the  front  to  nearly  the  whole 
length  of  the  building ;  on  it  squatted,  cross-legged,  sur- 
rounded with  bags  of  all  kinds  of  money,  a  Mahratta 
banker  with  his  handsome  countenance  and  keen  piercing 
black  eyes,  talking  to  his  customers,  discounting  bills,  and 
counting  money  with  astonishing  rapidity  and  ease. 

The  bank  where  our  pundit  obtained  his  "  hoondee,"  or 
money-order,  was  managed,  in  the  absence  of  his  father, 

to  the  days  of  the  week.    Budhwar,  therefore,  is  the  Wednesday  quar- 
ter of  the  city. 
15 


226  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

by  a  young  Hindoo  boy  who  could  not  have  been  over 
twelve  years  of  age.  This  youthful  cashier  astonished  us 
with  his  accuracy  and  quickness  in  counting  and  discount- 
ing money.  His  only  account-book,  as  far  as  I  could  see, 
was  a  flat  board  covered  with  fine  white  sand.  On  this 
primitive  slate  he  made  all  his  calculations,  writing  them 
down  with  his  forefinger.  When  he  had  finished  he  blew 
away  the  sand  and  handed  over  the  amount  due  to  pundit, 
with  interest  for  odd  days,  etc.,  all  calculated  with  the  nicest 
accuracy  down  to  the  smallest  fraction.  We  wondered  very 
much  to  see  these  banking  establishments  left  in  the  charge 
of  such  young  lads,  who  sit  there  demurely — and,  what  is 
more  strange,  securely — until  late  at  night,  often  amid 
heaps  of  gold,  silver,  and  other  coin  left  temptingly  in 
full  view;  but  one  rarely  hears  of  any  attempt  to  rob 
them. 

The  bankers'  checks  are  written  on  a  thick  country- 
made  paper ;  every  check  has  a  secret  mark  or  sign  that 
renders  forgery  difficult.  It  is  rolled  up  and  fastened  with 
gum- water,  and  thus  laks  *  upon  laks  of  rupees  are  circu- 
lated with  ease  and  safety  throughout  the  country. 

The  European  portion  of  the  city  of  Poonah  stands  on 
a  fine  open  plain.  There  are  here  wide  fields,  handsome 
barracks  for  the  European  soldiers,  bungalows  for  their 
commanding  officers,  a  hospital,  a  lunatic  asylum,  a  pretty 
little  church  with  reading-room  and  library  adjoining. 
In  fact,  there  is  everything  here  to  render  the  European 
comfortable  and  happy,  except  the  temper  of  the  people, 
who  still  cling  to  the  recollections  of  old  times,  when 
Poonah  was  the  capital  of  their  own  great  kings  and 
warriors,  filled  with  all  the  pomp  and  parade  of  Oriental 
splendor. 

The  late  Sir  Jamsetjee  Jeeboy  has  erected  a  fine  residence 
*  A  lak  is  one  hundred  thousand  rupees. 


POONAH  SEEN  AT  NIGHT.  227 

here;  near  it  is  a  simple  and  unpretending  Fire-temple 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Parsees  in  this  vicinity. 

The  last  of  the  many  bright  hours  spent  here  we  drove 
about  the  native  town  and  enjoyed  Poonah  at  night. 
Every  house,  fort,  temple,  palace,  and  hut  was  illumi- 
nated, those  of  the  poor  by  a  dim  light,  those  of  the  tem- 
ples and  palaces  by  innumerable  tiny  flames  that  flickered 
and  gleamed  in  thousands  of  colors  on  the  marbles  and 
frescoes  of  the  walls,  floors,  and  verandahs.  It  seemed 
like  passing  through  some  fairy  scene  filled  with  the 
thousand  and  one  pictures  of  the  Arabian  Nights. 


CHAPTER   X. 

The  beautiful  Hindoo  village  of  Wye. — The  Mahabaleshwar  Hills. — 
The  Temple  of  the  Gods.— The  Couch  of  Krishna.— The  Stone  Im- 
age of  the  Cow  from  whose  mouth  the  Five  Rivers  of  this  Region 
are  said  to  Spring. — The  Holy  Tank. — Satarah,  the  Star  City  of  the 
Mahratta  Empire. — The  Fort. — The  Palace  of  Sivaji.— Jejureh, 
the  famous  Hill-temples  where  the  Dancing-girls  of  the  Country 
are  recruited. — The  Mad  Gossain,  and  the  Story  of  his  Ill-fated 
Love. — The  Dancing-girl  Krayahnee. 

WE  made  a  journey  from  Poonah  to  the  Mahabaleshwar 
Hills  in  a  common  bullock-cart,  but  through  a  country  of 
unrivalled  beauty.  We  spent  a  night  and  a  day  at  the 
rural  village  of  Wye.  I  have  never  seen  any  place  where 
the  charm  of  Oriental  grace  working  through  the  pure 
Hindoo  imagination  has  more  forcibly  stamped  itself. 
The  soil,  the  climate,  the  temples,  the  river,  the  wide- 
spreading  trees,  the  sportive  figures  of  the  gods  and  god- 
desses, are  all  calculated  to  bring  out  in  strong  relief  the 
characteristics  of  the  adjoining  mountains,  which  here  as- 
sume a  multitude  of  beautiful  shapes,  rising  heavenward 
like  innumerable  battlemented  towers,  pinnacles,  or  spires, 
each  loftier  than  the  last  and  endowed  with  a  certain  air 
of  individuality  peculiar  to  these  hills.  One  isolated  rock 
near  the  village  rears  its  flat-topped  brow,  crowned  with 
an  old  Mahratta  fort,  more  than  a  hundred  feet  high,  sharp 
and  abrupt,  lending  a  singular  picturesqueness  to  the 
smallest  object  under  it. 

Wye  stands  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Krishna, 
which  is  shaded  by  fine  peepul  and  mango  trees ;  hand- 

228 


MOHTI  BAGg,  OB  PEARL  GARDEN.        229 

some  stone  steps  lead  down  to  the  edge  of  the  swift-flow- 
ing waters,  and  are  crowded  all  day  long  with  figures  of 
graceful  men,  women,  and  children  sporting,  bathing, 
drawing  water,  or  lounging  idly  around.  There  was  an 
irresistible  freshness  and  quiet  beauty  about  the  gay,  care- 
less life  of  the  people,  which  was  passed  absolutely  on  the 
banks  of  the  river. 

We  had  no  sooner  taken  up  our  abode  in  the  travellers' 
bungalow,  which  here  commands  a  fine  view,  than  the 
patel,  or  chief  of  the  city,  accompanied  by  several  Brah- 
mans,  paid  us  a  visit,  bringing  us  presents  of  fruit  and 
flowers.  I  was  much  struck  with  the  genial  kindliness 
and  courtesy  of  these  men. 

We  rose  at  dawn  next  morning  to  see  this  Hindoo  com- 
munity perform  in  one  body,  on  the  banks  of  the  Krishna, 
the  peculiar  ceremony  of  worshipping  the  sun.  The  peo- 
ple literally  lined  the  banks  of  the  river ;  their  faces  were 
turned  up  to  the  sky,  and  as  they  stood  in  rows  on  the 
steps  leading  to  the  water's  edge  the  effect  was  very  im- 
pressive. They  then  simultaneously  filled  their  palms 
with  water,  snuffed  it  up  through  their  nostrils,  and  flung 
it  toward  the  north-east,  repeating  certain  prayers.  After 
this  they  all  proceeded  to  stand  on  one  foot,  then  on  the 
other,  each  holding  in  his  hand  an  earthen  bowl  filled 
with  clarified  butter,  with  a  lighted  wick  in  the  centre. 
Then  they  all  together  saluted  the  mighty  luminary  with 
folded  hands  raised  to  their  foreheads,  and  then  marched 
toward  the  west  in  imitation  of  his  path  through  the 
heavens ;  which  terminated  their  sun-worship  *  for  the 
day. 

We  also  visited  the  garden  and  palace  of  the  Hast  ins. 
Mohti  Bagh,  or  "  pearl  garden,"  as  the  entire  palace  and 
grounds  are  called,  is  only  a  little  distance  from  the  village 
*  Hindoos  also  worship  the  sun  every  evening. 


230  LIFE  AND  TEAVEL  1^  INDIA. 

of  Wye.  The  approach  to  the  palace  is  through  an  en- 
chanting road  formed  of  tall  bamboos,  mangoes,  and  tama- 
rind trees.  Wye  is  a  spot  famed  in  Hindoo  literature. 
Here  the  heroes  of  the  Mahabharata  spent  their  years  of 
exile  and  expiation,  and  here  they  are  said  to  have  built 
many  wonderful  temples.  The  river  is  almost  gemmed 
with  beautiful  temples  in  the  finest  style  of  Hindoo  archi- 
tecture, owing  to  this  historic  fact  or  fiction,  whichever  it 
may  be.  The  temples  are  filled  with  idols  of  heroes  and 
heroines,  and  the  city  with  Hindoo  men  and  women  of 
the  finest  type  and  utmost  purity  of  character. 

We  visited  an  old  Brahman  college  here,  which  was 
once  famous  for  the  clever  pundits  it  furnished  to  the 
country  around.  There  were  some  students  in  one  of  the 
rooms;  they  were  all  young  and  good-looking,  but  had 
about  them  an  air  of  decorous  restraint  and  an  expression 
of  old  age  that  were  depressing  to  one's  spirits. 

Passing  through  a  luxuriant  country  full  of  venerable 
trees,  groves,  gardens,  and  wide  fields,  we  stopped  at  the 
little  village  of  Dhoom  to  see  a  famous  temple.  It  was 
of  fine  stone,  artistically  built,  but  full  of  strange  gods. 
An  arched  door  led  to  one  of  the  shrines,  where  there  was 
an  image  of  Siva.  Vessels  containing  rice  and  flowers 
were  before  him,  and  the  basin  in  front  of  the  temple  is 
something  peculiarly  beautiful.  It  is  unique  in  form — 
like  a  huge  tulip-shaped  cup,  of  pure  white  marble,  with 
its  rim  most  delicately  carved  into  the  petals  of  the  lotos- 
flower.  It  is  impossible  to  give  any  adequate  idea  of  this 
exquisite  bit  of  Hindoo  sculpture.  A  pillar  of  white  mar- 
ble with  five  heads  of  Siva,  and  the  cobra  de  capello 
twisted  round  them,  adds  another  charming  attraction  to 
this  insignificant  Brahman  village. 

The  ride  up  the  Tai  Ghauts  was  one  of  great  beauty. 
Here  and  there  in  the  dells  and  hollows  were  little  patches 


THE   VILLAGE  OF   MAHABALESHWAR.  231 

of  grass  which  looked  at  a  distance  very  like  a  green 
velvet  carpet.  Low-growing  wild  plants,  tall  trees,  and 
creepers  were  matted  together  in  one  network  of  green, 
yellow,  red,  blue,  and  purple.  The  views  looking  back 
were  lovely.  The  noise  of  mountain-torrent  and  trick- 
ling waters  in  the  midday  heat  was  most  refreshing. 

The  ancient  village  of  Mahabaleshwar  is  perched  on  a 
high  table-land,  and  is  said  to  be  the  most  elevated  por- 
tion of  that  interminable  western  range  of  Ghauts  forming 
some  of  the  highest  ground  between  the  Southern  Ghauts 
and  the  Himalayas.  The  temple  of  Maha  Deo  stands  close 
under  a  projecting  rock  on  the  very  spot  where,  accord- 
ing to  Brahmans  here,  the  five  sacred  rivers  of  this  region 
take  their  rise — the  Krishna,  the  Koina,  and  the  Yena, 
which  flow  toward  the  Deccan,  and  the  beautiful  Savitri 
and  Gaiutri,  which,  after  leaping  down  the  mountain-sides 
in  many  picturesque  cascades  and  waterfalls,  unite  with 
other  small  streams  to  form  quite  a  large  river,  at  whose 
mouth  stands  Fort  Victoria.  There  are  no  lovelier  scenes 
than  some  of  those  formed  by  these  two  rivers,  and  espe- 
cially remarkable  is  the  spot  where  they  unite,  flowing 
between  deep  and  wooded  banks  till  they  lose  themselves 
in  a  broad,  quiet,  placid  stream. 

A  large  reservoir  is  excavated  in  front  of  the  temple  to 
receive  the  waters  of  the  Krishna  and  Koina,  and  in  front 
is  a  huge  stone  cow,  through  whose  mouth  the  waters  flow 
into  it.  All  around  this  reservoir  is  a  fine  stone  walk,  and 
farther  on  are  several  cells  where  saints  who  have  long 
abandoned  the  world  still  reside  unseen,  but  not  unheard, 
for  night  after  night  their  voices,  like  the  feeble  wail  of 
infants,  are  borne  on  the  night  air,  imploring  the  gods 
in  behalf  of  the  lost,  erring  human  race.  Fiends,  angels, 
heroes,  demons,  and  gods  are  all  worshipped  here. 

The  Brahman  ascetics  who  have  charge  of  these  temples 


232  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN    INDIA. 

ring  a  bell  to  give  notice  that  the  deified  beings  have  taken 
up  their  abode  in  their  respective  cells.  Krishna,  the  last 
incarnation  of  the  Hindoos,  has  also  a  couch  prepared  for 
him  here.  When  the  sound  of  this  bell  is  heard  all  the 
inhabitants  of  this  mountain-village  betake  themselves  to 
a  few  moments'  meditation.  We  saw  some  remarkably 
pretty  women  who  were  attached  to  this  temple  filling  the 
lamps  with  oil  and  gathering  flowers  and  fruit  to  lay  be- 
fore the  shrines  ;  but  they  seemed  to  be  shy  of  Europeans, 
and  would  not  notice  us. 

The  discoverer  of  this  spot,  so  far  as  the  English  are 
concerned,  for  it  has  long  been  inhabited  by  the  Brah- 
mans,  was  Colonel  P.  Lodwick.  who,  when  stationed  with 
his  regiment  at  Satarah,  undertook  the  exploration  of 
these  hills,  and,  pushing  through  forest,  brushwood,  and 
jungle,  found  himself  at  the  edge  of  a  high  projecting 
rock,  when  a  sudden  turn  brought  him  to  the  brink  of 
a  grand  promontory  formerly  called  "  Sidney  Point/'  but 
now  after  the  true  discoverer.  No  sooner  was  the  dis- 
covery of  this  delightful  and  most  accessible  mountain- 
region  made  known  than  Sir  James  Malcolm,  then  gov- 
ernor of  Bombay,  hastened  to  establish  here  a  convales- 
cent hospital  for  European  soldiers.  In  course  of  time 
good  roads  were  constructed,  partly  by  the  British  gov- 
ernment and  partly  by  the  rajah  of  Satarah.  Parsee  shop- 
keepers soon  made  their  appearance,  and  in  a  few  years  a 
little  British  colony  was  transplanted  here.  There  are 
now  a  little  Protestant  church,  reading-room,  library, 
hotel,  barracks,  handsome  European  villas  and  bungalows, 
with  bridle-paths  all  along  the  most  picturesque  points. 
There  is  no  more  beautiful  and  heaUhful^mtajuim  to  be 
found  anywhere  in  the  East.  We  spent  two  delightful 
months,  November  and  December,  at  the  travellers'  bun- 
galow. The  weather  was  perfect — clear,  cold,  and  with- 


ELEPHANT  HUNTING  IN  INDIA. 


THE  NIGHT-BLOOMING  JESSAMINE.  233 

out  any  rain.  With  all  the  beauty  with  which  a  tropical 
climate  surrounds  the  hillsides  the  temperature  varied 
from  62°  to  45°  in  the  open  air.  The  elevation,  four 
thousand  seven  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
places  it  beyond  the  influence  of  cholera  and  malaria, 
which  are  so  deadly  in  many  parts  of  India.  The  soil 
is  scanty  in  some  parts,  but  in  many  portions  a  rich  mould 
of  great  depth  is  found,  admirably  adapted  to  agricultural 
purposes.  The  finest  strawberries  I  ever  saw  in  India 
were  brought  me  one  morning  by  the  pundit,  cultivated 
by  the  Brahmans  on  these  hills  as  offerings  to  their  gods. 
The  hills  are  also  covered  with  fine  trees — the  willow,  the 
jambul  with  its  dazzling  green  foliage,  the  iron-wood,  and 
the  arrowroot  plant.  There  are  here  several  kinds  of 
jessamines — one,  the  night-blooming  jessamine,  a  large 
and  beautiful  flower  and  peculiarly  fragrant  after  sunset. 
Ferns  abound :  one  called  by  the  natives  pryha  khud,  or 
"the  lover's  leap,"  is  extraordinarily  beautiful,  but  not 
very  abundant.  A  plant  resembling  the  yellow  broom  is 
also  found  here,  but  it  far  surpasses  the  latter  in  size  and 
beauty  of  flowers.  Bulbous  and  parasitical  plants  abound, 
and  their  flowers  are  much  larger  and  far  more  beautiful 
than  those  found  on  the  plains,  and  each  plant  has  its 
season. 

To  the  sportsman  the  Mahabaleshwar  Hills  are  a  treas- 
ure-trove. The  shikarees,  or  native  hunters,  are  always  at 
hand  to  lead  the  adventurous  into  the  very  lairs  of  tigers, 
panthers,  bears,  wolves,  and  to  the  resorts  of  all  kinds  of 
jungle-fowl.  The  monkeys  in  this  neighborhood  are 
generally  the  first  to  give  notice  of  the  vicinity  of  a  tiger 
by  their  loud  and  reiterated  cries  resounding  from  tree 
to  tree.  The  wild  bison,  for  which  this  region  was  once 
famous,  is  now  found  only  occasionally.  A  spot  is  shown 
where  Lieutenant  Hinds,  a  fine,  athletic,  noble-looking 


234  LIFE   AND  TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

young  English  officer,  over  six  feet  in  stature,  was  killed 
by  one  of  these  beasts.  He  and  his  shikaree  had  pursued 
the  bison  for  some  distance.  Lieutenant  Hinds  had  just 
taken  his  aim,  when,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  the  infu- 
riated beast  suddenly  turned  upon  him,  with  one  bound 
caught  him  upon  his  horns,  and  bore  him  thus  wildly 
along  through  the  forest,  and  finally  dashed  him  headlong 
over  some  rocks.  His  mutilated  body  was  found,  and  lies 
in  the  little  Christian  burial-ground  here. 

In  returning  from  the  Mahabaleshwar  Hills  we  took 
the  Satarah  road,  the  most  picturesque  of  the  three 'roads 
which  lead  up  to  the  hills.  It  commands  extensive  and 
diversified  views  of  all  the  country  around — the  wild 
tangle  of  the  forests,  the  towering  peaks  of  the  mountains, 
the  bristling  forts  of  the  rock-bound  city  of  the  "  North- 
ern Star,"  the  ample  fields  dotting  the  landscape  like  huge 
green  emeralds,  and  the  Savitri  and  the  Gaintri  struggling 
through  brake  and  forest  dingle  and  many  a  deep  shade  to 
find  each  the  other,  till  they  meet  at  last  just  over  the  wide 
brow  of  a  sharp  cliff,  and  leap  together  in  gladness  and 
beauty  down  five  hundred  feet,  dashing  and  tumbling 
over  masses  of  rock,  till  they  gain  the  low-lying  lands, 
then  move  on  in  quiet,  dreamy  irregularity  to  lose  each 
the  other  once  more — one  amid  the  waters  of  the  famous 
Krishna,  and  the  other  at  Karar  afar  off. 

We  turned  off  the  road  to  visit  a  formidable  tower- 
ing rock  on  which  stands  the  old  Mahratta  fort  of  Pra- 
tapgarh.  In  the  centre  of  it  are  found  two  lovely  Hindoo 
temples — one  to  Maha  DSo,  the  high  god,  and  the  other  to 
Bhawanee,  who  is  at  once  the  goddess  of  love  and  hatred 
— with  the  attending  Brahman  priests  officiating  there. 
Somewhere  under  this  fortress  lies  the  head  of  the  sim- 
ple-hearted Afzal  Khan,  the  renowned  Bijapoor  general. 
Here  was  enacted  by  the  hand  of  Sivaji,  the  founder  of 


SATARAH,  "THE  STAB  CITY."  235 

the  great  Mahratta  empire,  one  of  the  darkest  of  the 
many  tragedies  with  which  the  history  of  India  abounds. 
Having  induced,  through  false  pretences,  Afzal  Khan  to 
visit  him  unarmed  and  attended  by  one  sole  follower, 
Sivaji  met  the  trusting  foe  with  open  arms  and  slew  him 
when  in  the  act  of  embracing  him.  Sayid  Bunder,  the 
faithful  follower  of  the  general,  refused  to  surrender  even 
on  condition  of  having  his  life  granted  to  him,  and  suffered 
the  same  fate  as  his  master.  There  and  then  the  signals 
agreed  upon  boomed  forth  from  this  old  fort.  The  Mha- 
walis  rushed  from  their  places  of  concealment  all  along 
the  hillside  on  the  khan's  retinue,  stationed  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  and  slaughtered  and  dispersed  them.  Thus 
Sivaji  defeated  the  enemy  and  acquired  at  the  same  time 
great  amount  of  treasure  as  well  as  reputation  as  a  warrior. 

Satarah,  or  "  the  Star  City,"  is  full  of  antiquities  and 
historical  associations;  every  rock  and  hill  and  fortress 
has  its  own  deadly  secret — sometimes  more  than  one — of 
murder,  bloodshed,  treachery,  and  triumph  on  the  part 
of  the  Mohguls,  Mahrattas,  or  British,  besides  other  local 
interests.  The  town  lies  on  a  high  slope  or  plain  between 
two  ranges  of  hills,  one  on  the  east  and  one  on  the  west. 
The  western  hills  have  been  occupied  for  many  hundred 
years  by  the  descendants  of  the  early  Mahratta  Brahmans. 
They  are  covered  with  temples,  huge,  ancient,  and  solemn ; 
gods  and  goddesses  in  ivory  and  stone,  admirably  wrought, 
sit  enshrined  in  each  of  these.  The  priests  worship  them 
merely  for  the  sake  of  their  age  and  number.  Tall,  gray- 
bearded  monkeys  abound  on  these  hills,  and  while  we 
stood  gazing  at  one  of  the  temples  a  troop  of  these  crea- 
tures assembled  on  the  roof  and  showed  signs  and  symp- 
toms of  great  excitement  or  displeasure. 

The  Satarah  bazaar  is  peculiar  and  well  worth  visiting. 
The  Mahratta  women  are  as  free  and  as  unconfined  in 


236  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

their  movements  almost  as  the  English.  They  are  dark- 
er and  less  good-looking  than  those  at  Wye  and  on  the 
hills. 

The  flat-topped  hills  around  absolutely  bristle  with  forts 
that  the  "Mountain  Rats,"  as  Aurungzebe  called  the  Mah- 
ratta  warriors,  loved  to  build  everywhere.    A  zigzag  path- 
way leads  from  the  city  up  to  the  western  gate  of  "Azim 
Tarah,"  the  most  renowned  of  these  strongholds.     If  indi- 
vidual energy  and  vehement  self-assertion  indicate  cha- 
racter, the  Mahratta  soldiers  possess  it  to  an  extraordinary 
degree,  over  and  over  again  proving  themselves  grandly 
capable  of  confronting  the  very  dangers  they  had  brought 
down  upon  themselves.     This  fort  is  full  of  stories  of 
Mahratta  exploits  against  their  threefold  enemies.     It  has 
been  captured,  lost,  and  recaptured  over  and  over  again. 
It  was  built  by  a  King  Panalah  in  1192,  and  was  once 
the  state-prison   of  the  great  Sivaji.     It  was  defended 
against  the  emperor  Aurungzebe  by  Phryaji   Phrabu,  a 
brave  hawaldar,*  who  had  learned  the  art  of  war  under 
Sivaji.     When  the  Mohguls  attempted  to  enter  the  "  Star 
City"  huge  stones  were  rolled  down  the  mountain-sides, 
and   were   as  destructive   as  the   discharge  of  artillery. 
Tarbhyat  Khan,  a  Mohgul  in  the  service  of  Aurungzebe, 
undertook  to  destroy  it  by  mining  the  north-east  angle, 
one  of  its  strongest  points.      The  mine  was  completed 
after  months  of  severe  labor;  a  storming-party  was  formed 
on  the  brow  of  the  hill.    Aurungzebe,  confident  of  suc- 
cess, marshalled   his   men  in  brilliant  array  to  see  the 
attack.     The  first  explosion  crushed  many  of  the  Mah- 
ratta garrison  to  death,  and  was  followed  by  another  that 
rolled  down  great  rocks  upon  the  Mohguls,  destroying,  it 
is  said,  two  thousand  men  at  once.     Animated  by  this  dis- 
aster to  the  enemy,  the  garrison  would  have  continued  to 
*  A  Mahratta  officer,  but  not  of  very  high  rank. 


THE   ENGLISH   TAKE  SATAEAH.  237 

hold  out,  but  their  supplies  failed  and  they  were  obliged 
to  capitulate. 

After  the  well-known  rupture  with  Baji  Row,  the  Eng- 
lish troops  marched  into  Satarah,  took  possession  of  the 
fort,  and  installed  as  king  Pra  Thap  Singh,  the  eldest  son 
of  Shah  Hoo  the  Second.  He  was  deposed,  however,  on 
account  of  a  series  of  intrigues  against  the  East  India  gov- 
ernment, and  was  imprisoned  at  Benares.  Apa  Saihib, 
the  last  of  the  descendants  in  a  direct  line  of  the  great 
Sivaji,  was  then  placed  on  the  throne,  but  on  his  death 
the  province,  much  to  the  indignation  of  the  princes  and 
people  of  Western  India,  was  annexed  to  the  possessions 
of  the  East  India  Company.  It  is  but  just  to  say  that 
there  were  men  among  the  court  of  directors  who  remem- 
bered, with  Sir  George  Clark,  then  governor  of  Bombay, 
the  treaty  of  1819,  and  knew  that  the  East  India  Com- 
pany had  agreed  to  cede  in  perpetual  sovereignty,  to  the 
rajah  of  Satarah  and  his  heirs  and  successors,  the  terri- 
tories which  he  held,  and  they  protested,  but  all  in  vain, 
against  the  annexation  of  Satarah,  calling  it  "an  act  of 
unrighteous  usurpation."  Here,  alas !  was  laid  the  first 
seed  of  the  "Sepoy  mutiny,"  that  terrible  retribution 
which  ten  years  after  overtook  not  the  guilty,  but  the 
innocent  and  faithful  servants  of  the  Company. 

On  the  west  of  the  fort  are  a  number  of  Hindoo  tem- 
ples dedicated  chiefly  to  Siva  and  to  Bhawanee,  the  Indian 
Venus,  who  seems  ever  to  have  been  a  favorite  with  these 
hardy  mountaineers.  The  view  from  the  fort  is  one  of 
the  most  charming  in  the  world.  The  forms  of  the  dif- 
ferent hills  are  quaint,  and  crowned  with  barbaric  fort- 
resses and  temples  that  are  fast  crumbling  away  to  give 
place  to  a  rich  and  tropical  vegetation;  the  great  plain 
below,  dotted  with  the  houses  and  gardens  of  the  Euro- 
pean and  native  residents ;  the  lakes,  the  bazaars,  the  busy 


238  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

thoroughfares,  and,  far  away  for  many  a  mile,  a  road, 
leaf-canopied  and  cool  in  the  hottest  midday  sun,  lined  on 
each  side  with  thousands  of  magnificent  mango  trees. 
These  mango  trees  were  planted  by  one  of  the  native 
rulers  in  expiation  of  the  murder  of  a  noble  Hindoo 
statesman,  an  envoy  from  Barodah. 

On  the  south-western  side  of  the  old  town  stands  the 
antiquated  palace  of  Sivaji.  We  were  shown  into  an  at- 
tractive chamber  called  the  Jallah  Mandir,  the  "water 
pavilion."  Surrounded  by  a  variety  of  beautiful  creeping 
plants  and  almost  encircled  with  water,  it  is  cooled  by 
quaint  little  Oriental  fountains  that  splash  and  spirt  up- 
ward all  day  long.  This  peculiar  water-bound  chamber 
is  almost  fairy-like.  But  the  deity  of  this  place  is  the 
huge  sword  with  which  the  treacherous  Sivaji  slew  his 
trusting  foe,  Afzah  Khan,  the  general  of  Bijapoor.  By  a 
strange  contradiction,  this  sword  is  called  Bhawanee,  the 
goddess  of  love,  and  the  people  believe  that  the  sweet 
goddess  has  imparted  to  the  old  sword  a  charm  which  is 
deadly  to  the  enemies  of  the  Mahrattas. 

As  we  went  back  through  the  town  we  peeped  into  one 
or  two  of  the  temples.  There  were  in  them  some  curious 
old  idols  of  heroes  rather  than  gods,  but  they  were  as 
hideous  as  possible.  A  little  farther  on  the  ground  was 
made  lovely  with  immense  numbers  of  wild  flowers,  red, 
yellow,  and  blue. 

From  the  Star  City  of  the  Deccan  we  went  back  a  few 
days'  journey  and  crossed  the  "  Nira_bndge,"  one  of  the 
fine  old  Mahratta  works,  to  visit  the  village  and  hill-tem- 
ples of  Jijuhre.  The  village  was  insignificant  enough, 
but  the  hill  on  which  stands  the  temple  of  Khandoba, 
the  warrior-god  of  the  early  Mahrattas,  was  very  striking. 
It  is  flat-topped  and  rises  abruptly  from  the  surrounding 
plain,  its  entire  surface  covered  with  temples,  gates,  pil- 


THE  IMAGE  OF  KHANDOBA.  239 

lars,  stone  monuments  of  every  conceivable  object,  and 
has  the  appearance  of  a  huge  cemetery.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  the  presence  of  our  pundit  I  doubt  if  we  should  have 
been  allowed  to  visit  this  once-famous  temple. 

We  went  up  on  foot  through  an  odd  mixture  of  gate- 
ways and  pillars,  all  curiously  carved,  and  here  and  there 
were  stone  figures  of  mythological  birds  arid  beasts, 
abundantly  provided  with  shaindoor,  a  kind  of  red  paint, 
and  offerings  of  flowers.  The  largest  temple  had  an  im- 
age of  Khandoba,  a  terrific-looking  monster.  In  one  of 
the  upper  chambers  there  was  a  colossal  drum  that  gave 
sunset  warnings  and  served  to  call  the  priests,  priestesses, 
and  other  attendants  to  prayers,  midnight  devotions,  or 
revelries ;  which  latter  are  held  on  certain  days,  or  rather 
nights,  of  the  waxing  moon.  Aboutjwp  hundred  women, 
all  young,  many  of  them  mere  children,  are  attached  to 
this  temple,  which  is  in  every  sense  one  of  the  relics  of 
the  ancient  Mahratta  usages  before  the  introduction  of 
Brahmanism.  Many  of  these  girls  were  scattered  about 
in  groups  or  were  seen  reclining  at  their  ease  in  a  semi- 
nude  costume  about  the  aisles  of  the  temples,  producing  a 
charming  Oriental  effect,  though  one  could  not  help  shud- 
dering at  the  thought  of  their  lives.  And,  in  spite  of  the 
doom  laid  upon  them  even  before  they  were  born,  many  of 
them  had  singularly  interesting,  pensive  faces.  One  girl 
who  was  pouring  water  into  the  vessels  around  the  shrine 
of  Khandoba  was  a  picture  of  grace  and  adorned  with 
glittering  jewels.  These  strange  priestesses  of  passion  live 
in  cells  attached  to  the  temples  or  are  scattered  m  the  ser- 
vice of  their  peculiar  divinity  around  the  temples  in  the 
neighborhood,  but  here  they  are  yearly  recruited,  and  here 
they  are  formally  married  as  virgins  to  the  idol  of  Siva  or 
Khandoba,  as  the  case  may  be.  There  are  here  long  cor- 
ridors and  intricate  arrangement  of  passages,  with  little 


240  LIFE   AND  TKAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

stairs  leading  up  and  down  and  around,  where  the  girls 
are  kept  under  the  surveillance  of  old  women  who  once 
were  doomed  to  the  same  service.  How  inexplicable  is 
such  a  life,  looking  at  it  from  a  Christian's  point  of  view ! 
But  with  these  poor  devotees  the  more  revenue  they  bring 
in  for  the  temple  the  better  their  future  life,  in  which  they 
dream  of  becoming  loved  wives  and  mothers  of  divine 
sons  and  daughters  in  a  heaven  prepared  for  them. 

We  noticed  in  our  ramblings  over  this  curious  spot  a 
strange-looking  man,  naked  as  the  day  on  which  he  was 
born,  his  hair,  long  and  streaked  with  gray,  falling  in 
masses  around  his  naked  shoulders,  his  hands  and  feet 
emaciated,  the  nails  on  his  fingers  and  toes  looking  like 
huge  claws,  begrimed  with  dirt  and  masses  of  red  paint, 
sitting  alone,  muttering  all  to  himself  and  twirling  in  his 
hands  an  old  battered-looking  lota,  or  drinking-vessel, 
made  of  some  dark  metal.  This  was  the  mad  gossain,  or 
devotee,  of  Jijuhre.  When  we  approached  him  he  started 
up  and  took  his  place  on  the  edge  of  a  crumbling  rock. 

This  poor  mad  creature  was  an  object  of  profound  ven- 
eration and  worship,  and  his  story  was  as  pathetic  as  it 
was  singular.  The  spot  on  which  he  had  seated  himself 
had  a  peculiar  interest  to  him,  and  he  haunted  it  even  in 
his  maddest  moments.  It  was  called  Dewanee-garh,  "  the 
maddening  rock,"  because  one  of  the  priestesses  of  the 
temple  leaped  from  it  and  was  killed  instantly.  This 
girl's  name  was  Krayahnee.  It  was  said  that  on  her  mar- 
riage with  the  god  Siva  and  her  installation  in  the  peculiar 
life  of  the  temple  it  was  found  that  she  had  conceived  a 
strong  passion  for  the  mad  gossain,  then  a  young  Mahratta 
noble  named  Hotah  Bhow.  He  visited  her  frequently, 
and  they  were  always  seen  together,  and,  as  the  noble  was 
rich,  the  priests  humored  the  girl  in  her  singleness  of  de- 
votion, for  she  brought  large  sums  of  money  to  the  tern- 


KRAYAHNEE,   THE   PRIESTESS.  241 

pie.  But  after  a  while  Hotah  Bhow  ceased  his  visits  to 
the  temple,  and  Krayahnee  was  urged  to  take  another 
lover.  She  pleaded  a  respite  for  one  month,  which  was 
granted.  In  the  mean  time,  through  a  Sudra,  a  male  at- 
tendant on  the  temple,  she  sent  Hotah  Bhow  a  message, 
assuring  him  of  her  undying  love  and  entreating  him  to 
aid  her  in  her  escape  from  the  temple,  saying  that  if  he 
would  do  this  for  her  she  would  willingly  serve  as  a  slave 
in  his  household. 

The  Sudra,  who  was  himself  enamored  of  the  beautiful 
priestess,  took  no  pains  to  deliver  the  message,  but  brought 
back  to  the  poor  girl  a  fabricated  answer  from  Hotah 
Bhow,  advising  her  to  make  herself  happy  where  the 
gods  had  placed  her. 

Next  morning  Krayahnee  was  missed,  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  her  body  was  found  crushed  and  mangled  at 
the  foot  of  Dewanee-garh.  Tying  her  lota,  or  sacred 
vessel  for  ablutions,  to  her  neck,  she  had  leaped  from  the 
rock  at  dead  of  night.  Mouths  after,  Hotah  Bhow  re- 
turned from  a  pilgrimage  to  Benares,  and  on  hearing  of 
the  sad  fate  of  Krayahnee  became  so  melancholy  that  he 
betook  himself  to  the  severest  course  of  asceticism  known 
among  the  Hindoos,  called  "  Gala  Naik."  Standing  for 
hours  on  the  spot  whence  the  dancing-girl  flung  herself 
headlong,  he  threw  back  his  head  and  gazed  at  the  sun, 
holding  in  his  hand  the  sole  relic  of  his  unhappy  love, 
the  battered  lota.  The  priestesses  of  the  temple,  pitying 
his  sorrows,  took  him  food  and  fed  him  at  stated  intervals. 
But  at  length  reason  gave  way  under  the  severity  of  his 
expiation  ;  he  forgot  his  vow  to  practise  "  Gala  Naik  "  to 
the  day  of  his  death,  and  is  now  found  wandering  over 
the  hillside  or  perched  on  the  edge  of  Dewanee-garh, 
bereft  of  even  the  memory  of  his  sorrows,  but  still 
clinging  to  the  battered  lota  of  Krayahnee,  into  which 
ift 


242  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

the   priestesses  of  the  temple   pour  his  daily  food   and 
drink. 

Weary  of  our  climb  and  saddened  by  the  recital  of  this 
story,  we  retraced  our  steps  to  the  "  dharrum-sala "  of 
the  village,  and  on  the  following  morning  started  across 
the  country  of  the  Deccan  from  the  Star  City  of  the 
ancient  Mahrattas  for  Aurungabad,  the  golden  city  of  the 
great  Mohgul  Aurungzebe,  and  thence  to  the  caves  of 
Elora. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

From  Satarah,  the  Star  City  of  the  great  Mahratta  Kings,  to  Dowlut- 
abad,  the  Abode  of  Fortune,  and  Aurungabad,  the  Golden  City  of  the 
Mohgul  Emperors. — Tombs  of  Boorhan  Ood  Deen  and  Aurungzebe. 
— Mausoleum  of  Rhabea  Durance. — Sketch  of  the  Mohgul  invasion 
of  India. — Manners,  Customs,  and  Religious  Ceremonies  of  the  Mo- 
hammedans of  Hindustan. 

OF  all  the  places  in  the  East,  there  is  none  more  cele- 
brated in  Oriental  romance  and  song  than  the  province 
which  occupies  the  centre  of  the  great  table-land  of  the 
Deccan,  called  the  Nizam's  Dominion.  Here  the  Mah- 
rattas,  Rajpoots,  Mohguls,  French,  and  English  have 
struggled  for  mastery.  Here  are  the  ancient  Golkunda 
and  HydejTvbad,  the  Abode  of  the  Lion.  In  the  reign 
of  Mahmood  Shah,  so  great  was  the  renown  of  the  Bah- 
mani  *  court  that  the  celebrated  Persian  poet  Hafiz  deter- 
mined to  visit  it.  "  He  embarked  at  Ormuzd,  but  the 
vessel  encountering  a  tempest,  the  Iranian  Horace  at  once 
abandoned  the  voyage  and  despatched  instead  an  ode  to 
Mahmood  as  his  apology."  From  that  time  the  songs  of 
Hafiz  became  the  favorite  melodies  at  the  Bahmani  court. 

*  So-called  from  Allahu  Deen  Hasain  Shah  Gangti  Bahmani,  who 
was  the  first  Mohammedan  king  of  Deccan,  1347  A.  D.  He  was  a  native 
of  Delhi  and  servant  of  one  of  the  most  learned  Brahman  astrologers, 
who  was  highly  favored  by  the  fierce  conqueror  Mohammed  Tooghlak. 
Hasain  greatly  distinguished  himself  in  battle  with  the  imperial  troops 
in  storming  Dowlutabiid.  Penally,  the  emperor  Naisirud  Deen  resigned 
to  him  the  crown  of  Deccan.  He  very  greatly  extended  his  dominions 
under  the  advice  of  his  early  master  the  Brahman  astrologer,  Ganzu 
Bood,  whom  he  appointed  as  his  prime  minister. 

243 


244  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

In  1401,  Firuz  Shah,  who  had  succeeded  Mahmood  in 
1397,  sent  from  his  kingdom  an  embassy  with  magnificent 
presents  to  the  great  conqueror  Timoor  Lang  (Tamerlane), 
who  conferred  on  him,  in  addition  to  the  vast  provinces 
he  ruled  over,  the  sovereignty  of  the  kingdoms  of  Guze- 
rat  and  Malwah;  which  proved,  however,  troublesome 
acquisitions.  It  was  he  who  caused  that  famous  observ- 
atory (the  ruins  of  which  may  still  be  seen  on  the  Dowlut- 
abad  Pass)  to  be  built  for  his  Brahman  astronomer.  The 
close  of  his  reign  is  said  to  have  been  disastrous.  His 
armies,  bent  on  conquest,  were  defeated  in  a  battle  with 
D6o-Rai-Vijya-Naggur,  and  Firuz  Shah  was  not  only  de- 
posed, but  strangled,  by  his  own  brother  in  1422.  The 
ruthless  murderer  and  brother  of  Firuz  Shah  was  both  a 
warlike  and  able  monarch.  He  is  known  in  Indian  story 
as  Ahmad  Shah  Bahmani.  In  1432  he  built  the  famous 
fort  of  Ahmedabad  at  Bidhar,  still  called  after  him ;  and 
not  only  restored  but  beautified  that  ancient  city,  which 
more  than  two  thousand  years  before  had  been  famed  in 
Sanskrit  drama  as  the  capital  of  the  Rajah  Bhima  Selm, 
the  loves  of  whose  exquisitely  chaste  and  beautiful 
daughter  Damayanti  and  of  Nala,  the  rajah  of  Malwah, 
are  sung  and  acted  to  this  day  throughout  Hindostan.* 

This  province  has  been  the  most  celebrated  for  the 
beauty  and  rare  accomplishments  of  its  Bahyadiers. 
They  formed  a  large  part  of  its  population ;  so  much  was 
the  profession  favored  that  many  of  these  public  dancers 
have  become  queens,  and  sons  born  to  them  have  become 
kings  and  learned  men.  A  beautiful  and  romantic  story 
is  still  sung  here  of  a  Bahyadier  named  Amiuah.  Hav- 
ing attracted  the  attention  of  Burlian  Nizam  Shah,  she 

*  It  was  translated  from  the  Sanskrit  into  Persian  verse  by  the  poet 
Faizi  of  Iran,  and  acted,  with  all  the  Indian  appendages  of  dress  and 
character,  at  the  court  of  the  great  Akbar. 


AMINAH,   THE  NOBLE   BAHYADIER.  245 

sent  him  word  that  she  loved  him,  and,  in  spite  of  her 
profession,  was  worthy  to  be  his  wife.  Doubting  the  sin- 
cerity of  her  assertion,  Burhan  Nizam  Shah  subjected  her 
secretly,  through  a  friend,  to  the  most  painful  trials,  in 
every  one  of  which  she  gave  evidence  of  an  innate  noble- 
ness of  character.  Thus,  having  proved  the  sincerity  of 
her  attachment,  he  married  Aminah,  who  continued  to 
be  his  favorite  queen  and  counsellor  even  after  he  had 
espoused  (from  motives  of  policy)  the  princess  of  Bijapoor. 

The  appearance  of  the  country  of  the  Nizam's  Domin- 
ion, however,  is  not  as  full  of  interest  as  its  history. 
Without  forests  of  any  extent,  and  with  but  few  lakes,  it 
is  intersected  by  innumerable  small  streams  or  nullahs* 
and  reservoirs,  with  occasional  hills  that  rise  iu  curious 
detached  blocks,  as  if  accidentally  dropped  here  and  there 
by  some  Titans  at  play. 

After  many  days  of  a  painful  journey  through  wide 
fields  of  desolation  and  gigantic  cities  now  crumbling 
away,  we  encamped  at  a  dhurrum-sala  f  in  the  ancient  city 
of  Bidhar,  once  a  place  of  great  renown  and  the  capital 
of  the  Mahratta  kings,  who  seem  to  have  shifted  their 
capitals  as  the  Bedouin  does  his  tent.  Attached  to  the 
dhurrum-sala  were  long  sheds,  places  of  shelter  for  the 
cattle,  side  by  side  with  that  of  the  human  cattle.  These 
had  grass  and  fodder*  provided  for  them  gratuitously  by 
the  Brahmans  in  the  vicinity. 

This  old  Mahratta  town  contains  some  very  curious 
stone  buildings  carved  with  the  figures  of  Hindoo  gods 
and  goddesses.  Its  chief  attraction,  however,  is  the  beau- 
tiful Bidharee  ware.  We  bought  a  little  box  and  the 
bowl  of  a  hookhah,  which  were  very  gracefully  orna- 

*  Creeks  or  water-courses,  found  full  to  overflowing  in  many  places 
during  the  rainy  season,  but  which  often  dry  up  in  the  hot  months, 
f  A  free  rest-house  for  travellers. 


246  LIFE   AND   TKAVEL,   IN   INDIA. 

merited  with  silver-work.  The  metal  of  which  these  arti- 
cles were  manufactured  is  a  jet-black  compound  of  copper 
and  tin  which  is  capable  of  a  high  polish.  The  natives 
here  seem  happy  and  independent.  We  saw  some  very 
handsome  Hindoo  women  in  the  bazaars,  but  the  Moham- 
medan women  were  those  of  the  lowest  castes. 

The  difficulties  of  the  road  very  much  increased  after 
leaving  Bidhar.  We  were  bumped  and  battered  over  a 
stony  road,  nor  was  there  anything  to  be  seen  but  a  great 
wilderness  for  many  miles.  When  we  inquired  the  dis- 
tance to  the  next  halting-place  our  guide,  who  was  very 
musical,  stopped  his  song  and  replied,  "  Chulla  joa  oodhur 
hai  "  ("  Go  along !  it  is  there  ").  But  where  we  could  not 
make  out.  Finally,  we  were  obliged  to  spend  the  night 
under  a  tree  in  our  wagons  not  far  from  a  great  nullah 
which  was  thought  unsafe  to  cross  after  sunset.  On  the 
opposite  side  of  us  was  a  large  party  of  men  and  women, 
gossains  and  priests,  fellow-travellers,  with  four  wagon- 
loads  of  dancing-girls,  some  of  whom  were  very  interesting 
seen  in  the  dusk.  They  were  a  troup  of  actors  and  ac- 
tresses returning  from  some  village  theatre  to  their  head- 
quarters at  Oude  Gera,  a  city  in  this  vicinity. 

A  little  after  dawn  next  morning  we  crossed  the  nullah, 
which  was  by  no  means  as  dangerous  as  represented  by 
our  guide.  Along  the  road  we  saw  some  beautiful  wild 
flowers  and  trailing  vines,  among  them  a  little  hardy  blos- 
som like  the  anemone,  and  of  a  lovely  rose-color.  In  the 
afternoon  of  the  next  day  we  crossed  the  Godaveri,  the 
famous  Tyndis  of  the  ancients,  rising  in  the  Thull  Ghauts 
and  flowing  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  great 
high  plain  of  the  Deccan  to  pour  itself  into  the  Bay  of 
Bengal.  We  found  no  difficulty  in  fording  the  river  at 
this  season,  when  the  rains  were  over.  In  some  places  its 
banks  were  high  and  steep,  and  here  and  there  were  strik- 


AURUNGABAD,   THE   GOLDEN   CITY.  247 

ing  views  of  the  country.  "We  met  hosts  of  carts  and  na- 
tives on  horses  crossing  the  river  at  this  point.  After 
another  long  day's  journey  we  took  refuge  at  last  at  the 
dhurrum-sala  at  Aurungabad.  From  the  verandah  of  the 
dhurrum-sala  at  this  truly  picturesque  Mohammedan  city 
is  a  most  enchanting  view — the  Dhuna  River  winding 
away  through  the  plain  ;  the  leafy  woods,  not  very  dense, 
but  full  of  trees  noble  and  stately;  the  lime-groves  in 
full  blossom  sweetly  scenting  the  air,  while  with  pertina- 
cious grace  the  full-blown  leaves  of  many  creeping  vines 
droop  over  the  verandah  to  fan  us  gently  in  the  evening 
breeze ;  in  the  distance  the  domes,  the  tall,  graceful  min- 
arets, the  shining  roofs  of  mosques  and  palaces  of  the 
once-famous  city  of  Arungabad  amid  eternally  verdant 
gardens.  Gradually  the  sun  sets  on  the  charming  scene, 
but  we  still  linger  and  gaze ;  few  lights  are  seen,  but  now 
and  then  a  rushlight  or  the  glimmer  of  a  fire  prepared  for 
the  evening  meal. 

Twilight  is  deepening  into  darkness  as  we  start  for  a 
walk,  accompanied  by  pundit.  We  see  in  the  distance  a 
tall  square  tower,  dark  in  color  and  crowned  with  half- 
ruined  battlements,  and  behind  it,  far  away,  the  mighty 
Dowlutabad,  grim,  silent  and  watchful,  against  the  dusky 
sky.  Some  strangely  weird-looking  figures  of  priests  and 
fakeers  are  returning  from  a  mosque  adjoining,  and  here 
and  there  a  bright  star  shines  softly  upon  the  tombs  of 
the  dead  Mohammedans  buried  on  the  summit  of  the  far- 
off  Piphlaghaut. 

Powlutabad,  "  the  abode  of  fortune,"  with  the  fickleness 
of  the  goddess  after  whom  it  was  named,  fluctuated  be- 
tween the  Mohgul  conquerors  of  the  Deccan,  the  Raj- 
poots and  Mahratta  kings,  for  several  centuries,  till  finally 
it  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  East  India  Company. 
We  obtained  permission  from  the  governor  of  the  fort  to 


248  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

visit  this  remarkable  fortress,  which  is  built  on  a  rocky- 
hill,  an  isolated,  prodigious  block  of  stone,  with  a  perpen- 
dicular scarp  of  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  all  round 
it.  The  summit  is  pointed  like  a  cone,  and  capped  with  a 
curious  old  tower,  on  which  is  mounted  a  heavy  brass  gun. 
The  only  means  of  ascending  the  fort  of  Dowlutabad  is 
through  a  narrow  passage  hewn  out  of  the  rock  and  lead- 
ing to  a  large  subterranean  chamber,  whence  a  gallery, 
also  excavated  out  of  the  heart  of  the  hill,  leads  to  the 
top.  After  traversing  this  gallery  the  road  passes  by  the 
khilladar's  (or  governor's)  house,  a  handsome  building 
with  an  arched  verandah.  The  fortress  is  protected  by  a 
fosse  and  a  circular  wall  winding  round  the  hill  to  the 
very  summit ;  the  lowest  part  of  the  wall  is  made  to  en- 
close the  little  native  town  lying  at  its  base,  now  deserted 
and  fast  crumbling  away.  The  view  from  the  summit  is 
very  inspiring ;  we  could  see  the  country  around,  far  and 
near,  though  there  was  a  slight  haze  on  the  distant 
horizon. 

The  revenues  of  the  Soubah,  or  district  of  Dowlutabad, 
including  that  of  Ahmed  Nuggur,  is  said  to  have  yielded 
the  emperor  Aurungzebe  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  laks  of  rupees.  In  1758  this  fortress  fell  for  a 
short  time  into  the  hands  of  the  French,  but  by  the  recall 
of  M.  Bussy  it  was  once  more  captured  by  the  Mohgul 
rulers  of  the  Deccan.  The  Nizam's  flag,  that  once  floated 
so  proudly  over  its  summit,  is  now  supplanted  by  that 
ever-aggressive  standard,  the  union  jack. 

Aurunffab&d,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Dhuna  River,  is 
one  of  the  most  disappointing  of  the  old  Mohgul  cities, 
and  is  fast  crumbling  to  decay.  It  was  once  the  centre  of 
Mohgul  power  in  the  Deccan.  Aurungzebe  removed  his 
capital  from  Dehli  to  this  spot,  whence  its  name  the 
"  Golden  Seat,"  owing  to  his  chair  of  state  being  made  of 


THE   PALACE   OF  AURUNGZEBE.  249 

pure  gold.  The  town  is  approached  through  a  gateway 
which  looks,  like  the  rest  of  the  place,  old  and  dilapidated ; 
the  streets,  however,  are  broad,  and  some  well  paved.  The 
gardens  and  reservoirs  are  numerous,  but  the  whole  at- 
mosphere of  the  town  is  strangely  depressing.  The  groups 
of  grave-looking  Mohammedans  pirs,  or  holy  men,  naked, 
filthy  fakeers,  and  porters,  who  parade  the  streets,  make  it 
seem  odd  and  grotesque,  but  do  very  little  toward  enliven- 
ing the  town  itself.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  wall  flanked 
with  towers  at  regular  distances.  The  minarets,  mosques, 
and  some  of  the  dwellings  are  still  possessed  of  much 
architectual  beauty.  Among  its  most  famous  manufac- 
tures are  fine  kinkaubs,  or  gold-  and  silver-wrought  silks, 
and  dried  fruits,  which  are  sent  to  Bombay  and  other  parts 
of  India  for  sale. 

The  palace  of  Aurungzebe  stands  on  the  south  of  the 
Dhuna  River,  and  is  only  remarkable  for  its  extent.  It 
is  full  of  dark  chambers,  narrow  passages,  stained  ceilings 
and  floors,  that  might  once  have  been  beautiful,  but 
which  now  have  an  unwholsome  look  of  mould  and 
decay. 

Having  devoted  an  entire  day  to  Aurungabad,  we  rode 
out  on  the  following  morning  to  Rowzah,  "the  city  or 
garden  of  tombs,"  but  most  celebrated  as  the  last  resting- 
place  of  Aurungzebe.  The  town  of  Rowzah  itself  is  a 
charming  spot.  It  stands  on  the  brow  of  a  gentle  hill, 
and  the  views  from  every  part  of  it  are  very  fine.  There 
was  an  air  of  bustle  and  activity  too  among  the  people, 
and  elaborate  culture  was  everywhere  manifest  throughout 
its  immediate  neighborhood.  Temples,  mosques,  holy 
places,  groves,  and  gardens  for  the  dead  abound  here,  and 
the  shops  seemed  well  stocked.  We  had  a  beefsteak  *  for 
lunch,  cooked  in  a  Mohammedan  "  khanadhar,"  or  restau- 
*  Beef  is  never  exposed  for  sale  in  a  Hindoo  city. 


250  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

rant.  The  houses  are  well  built  and  extremely  pictur- 
esque with  their  low  projecting  balconies.  Many  of  the 
buildings  are  furnished  with  open  courtyards  in  front. 
Sometimes  a  high  wall  encloses,  as  at  Aurungabad,  a  group 
of  buildings,  the  dwelling  of  some  wealthy  Mohammedan 
merchant  with  his  hareem.  Groups  of  well-dressed  Mus- 
ulmans,  with  here  and  there  a  Mahratta  or  a  Hindoo, 
were  passing  to  and  fro  exchanging  graceful  salutations ; 
water-cariers,  porters,  and  venders  of  fruit  and  cloth  jos- 
tled one  another  in  the  streets;  and  from  the  balconies 
there  peeped  out  at  us  now  and  then  coquettish-looking 
young  girls  brilliantly  attired,  with  here  and  there  a  face 
that  displayed  great  beauty. 

Finally,  we  came  to  the  famous  Mohammedan  cemetery. 
Here  we  paused  a  while  at  the  tomb  of  the  great  Aurung- 
zebe, which  lies  near  that  of  a  saint  called  Bhooran  Ood 
Deen.  The  mausoleum  of  the  latter  is  more  costly,  and  is 
held  in  even  greater  veneration,  than  that  of  the  Mohgul 
emperor.  It  was  covered  with  a  handsome  green  velvet 
mantle,  lamps  were  burning  within,  musicians  were  beat- 
ing their  drums  outside,  and  pirs,  or  holy  men,  were  stand- 
ing around  the  tomb  and  reciting  prayers  for  the  dead  and 
prostrating  themselves  at  certain  intervals. 

Outside  the  walls  of  the  city  of  Aurungabad  is  the  ob- 
ject best  worth  seeing,  the  tomb  of  the  loving  and  faithful 
Rahbea  Dhoorane,  the  favorite  wife  of  Aurungzebe,  though, 
at  best,  it  is  a  poor  copy  of  the  famous  Taj-Mahal  at  Agra. 
Arriving  at  the  farthest  edge  of  a  wide  path,  the  spires  of 
the  mausoleum  rise  before  one  amid  a  wide  area  of  rich 
dark  foliage.  It  stands  alone  and  immediately  behind  the 
wall  that  separates  it  from  the  old  palace  of  Aurungzebe. 
The  approach  is  through  a  gateway.  In  front  is  a  canal 
with  a  number  of  fountains  at  play.  At  the  end  of  the 
avenue  is  the  mausoleum  itself.  The  windows  are  of  very 


THE  MAUSOLEUM   OF   RAHBEA  DHOORANE.        251 

exquisite  workmanship,  reminding  one  of  Rahbea  herself. 
The  tomb  is  quite  low  and  unpretending,  lying  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  building,  and  one  has  to  descend  a  number  of 
steps  to  look  upon  it.  It  is  enclosed  by  a  light  and  ele- 
gant marble  screen,  fancifully  chiselled,  looking  like  lace- 
work.  On  the  tomb  itself  is  laid  a  covering  of  scarlet 
velvet.  The  minarets  at  each  of  the  corners  are  also  full 
of  beauty.  To  the  left  we  pass  through  a  fine  Gothic  arch 
gracefully  carved,  and  enter  a  noble  hall  supported  by 
fluted  pillars  and  with  handsome  etchings  along  the  walls 
and  ceilings.  It  is  now  used  for  the  assemblies  of  Mo- 
hammedan priests  and  bishops,  who  meet  here  from  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  country  twice  every  year  to  discuss 
matters  bearing  chiefly  on  the  religious  disputes  that  arise 
among  themselves. 

Above  even  the  last  resting-place  of  the  dead  queen, 
and  far  beyond  all  the  other  features  of  interest  in  this 
mausoleum,  is  a  little  unique  chamber  that  stands  apart, 
surrounded  with  fragrant  orange  and  sweet  lime  trees  and 
clustering  blossoms  of  rare  tropical  flowers.  It  is  the 
loveliest  retreat  that  the  heart  of  man  could  have  devised, 
and  is  still  touched  with  the  lingering  romance  of  Rah- 
bea's  love  for  and  power  over  the  proud  Aurungzebe ;  for 
here  he  often  sought  the  beautiful  queen  for  purposes  of 
quiet  meditation  or  relaxation  from  the  cares  of  state,  and 
here,  if  we  may  believe  all  the  reports,  Rahbea  often  knelt 
for  hours  before  her  husband  pleading  for  the  lives  of  men 
and  women  whom  he  had  doomed  to  death.  Amid  all 
the  cruelty,  avarice,  and  bloodshed  that  stained  the  life  of 
Aurungzebe,  the  tender  picture  which  this  little  chamber 
conjures  up  is  pure  and  refreshing. 

Mohammedan  priests  and  pirs,  or  saints,  are  in  constant 
attendance  upon  this  tomb.  Morning  services  are  held 
here  every  Monday.  Fahtiahs,  or  prayers,  are  offered  for 


252  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

the  dead  queen  and  all  other  dead  souls,  portions  of  the 
Koran  are  read  or  chanted,  and  lamps  are  kept  burning 
on  especial  festal  nights.  As  we  were  leaving  the  place 
a  number  of  Mohammedans  entered  the  tomb  to  pray, 
and  one  of  the  pirs  informed  me  that  certain  cures  and 
miracles  are  yearly  effected  by  the  prayers  offered  up  to 
the  dead  queen. 

We  went  to  see  the  Friday  "prayer-meeting"  in  the 
finest  mosque  of  this  once-princely  Mohammedan  city. 
The  Jummah  Musjid,  as  the  great  mosque  is  called,  is  a 
quiet,  unpretending  structure.  From  a  distance  it  is  im- 
posing, rather  from  the  insignificance  of  the  buildings  in 
its  vicinity  than  from  any  architectural  claims  of  its  own. 
But  the  interior  is  both  simple  and  grand :  the  roof  is  ex- 
quisitely arched,  and  upheld  by  pillars  of  elegant  design 
and  workmanship.  At  the  extreme  end  there  is  a  raised 
platform  whence  the  moolah  *  prays  with  his  face  turned 
toward  Mecca,  and  behind  this  pulpit  were  hung  heavy 
kinkaub  curtains  of  native  manufacture.  The  mosque 
was  well  filled,  and  the  sight  was  both  solemn  and  inspir- 
ing. More  than  a  thousand  men  (with  a  few  women  sit- 
ting veiled  and  apart),  all  clad  in  flowing  white  robes, 
brilliant  cumberbunds,  and  variegated  turbans,  rose,  knelt, 
folded  their  hands  and  prostrated  themselves  simultaneous- 
ly. The  earnest  voice  of  the  moolah,  the  deep  responses 
of  the  assembled  congregation,  their  expressions  of  devo- 
tion and  self-abasement,  were  sufficient  to  bring  Christian 
and  pagan  into  sympathy. 

We  rode  next  morning  to  the  gardens  and  tomb  of 
Shah  Safid,  "the  pure  saint."  The  rose,  the  jessamine, 
and  the  mohgre"\  bloomed  here  in  great  profusion;  we 
noticed  some  beautiful  birds  hovering  among  the  cypress 
and  other  trees,  and  we  passed  two  splendid  reservoirs  full 
*  Mohammedan  bishop.  f  -A-  white  rose,  scented  like  a  jessamine. 


BRAHMAN  VILLAGE  COMMUNITIES.  253 

of  fish,  and  enjoyed  the  quiet  of  this  resting-place  of  the 
great  friend  and  spiritual  adviser  of  Aurungzebe.  The 
mausoleum  itself  is  a  simple  structure,  without  any  archi- 
tectural adornments.  We  did  not  see  any  of  the  descend- 
ants of  this  famous  Mohammedan  saint,  but  some  holy 
men  who  did  the  honors  of  the  gardens  showed  us  all  that 
was  worth  seeing,  and  the  cemetery  was  a  very  bright, 
cheerful  place  in  the  morning  sun. 

There  are  four  great  eras  in  the  history  of  India — the 
early  dominion  of  the  Brahmans,  the  Turk  and  Moslem 
invasion,  then  that  of  the  Mohguls,  and  finally  the  rise 
of  British  sovereignty  in  Hindostan.  Before  introducing 
the  reader  to  the  peculiar  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  Mo- 
hammedans of  Hindostan,  I  have  thought  that  the  most 
important  events  of  Mohgul  invasion  and  occupation  of 
India  would  not  be  out  of  place  here. 

It  was  about  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  century  A.  D. 
that  first  the  Turks,  and  then  the  Afghans,  obtained  by 
means  of  their  superior  military  discipline  easy  conquests 
over  the  Rajpoot  chieftains.  India  was  at  this  time  in  a 
most  prosperous  and  happy  condition,  governed  chiefly  by 
the  Brahmanic  system  of  village  communities.  Each  vil- 
lage was  in  itself  a  little  republic,  providing  for  and  ad- 
ministering its  own  affairs  through  officers  who  were  in 
all  respects  independent  citizens,  subject  to  none  but  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  village  itself,  save  in  the  case  of  war, 
when  they  volunteered  to  aid  the  Rajpoots  in  quelling 
such  disturbances  as  arose.  The  Rajpoots,  on  the  other 
hand,  comprised  the  nobility  and  soldier-like  chivalry  of 
India.  Romantic  in  their  attachments,  tenacious  of  their 
honor,  devoted  in  their  attentions  to  the  softer  sex,*  they 

*  The  practice  of  female  infanticide  among  the  Rajpoots  may  be 
traced  to  the  conquest  of  India  by  the  Turks  and  Afghans.  Too 
haughty  to  give  his  daughter  in  marriage  to  a  conqueror  and  enemy, 


254  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

were  ready  to  engage  in  deeds  of  daring  and  adventure. 
But,  unhappily,  they  were  divided  into  clans,  each  under 
its  own  chief,  as  among  the  Scotch  Highlanders,  which  not 
infrequently  were  disturbed  by  internal  feuds.  They  were 
easily  subdued,  one  clan  after  another  being  dispersed  or 
destroyed,  until  the  greater  part  of  Hindostan  fell  into  the 
hands  «of  the  Moslem  conquerors. 

The  expedition  of  Sultan  Mahmood,  undertaken  in  1024 
A.  D.,  is  the  one  most  famed  in  Indian  story.  In  the  fair 
park-like  province  of  Guzerat  stood  a  wonderful  Hindoo 
temple,  none  other  than  the  famous  temple  of  Swayan 
Nath,  or  "the  Self-Existent,"  as  the  god  was  called. 
This  god  was  worshipped  here  under  the  shape  of  a 
gigantic  man  formed  of  black  stone.  For  his  ablutions 
water  was  brought  from  the  Ganjas,  a  thousand  miles  dis- 
tant. The  priests,  devotees,  and  ascetics  of  this  temple 
were  numbered  by  hundreds ;  one  thousand  elephants  be- 
longed to  it  and  were  maintained  for  the  service  of  the 
god.  Stationed  about  the  temple  in  superb  trappings, 
they  added  an  imposing  feature  to  this  shrine  on  festal 
occasions ;  banners  of  cloth  of  gold,  standards  of  peacock- 
feathers  gemmed  with  rare  jewels,  musical  instruments  of 
every  kind  and  shape,  with  hundreds  of  hired  musicians, 
formed  part  of  the  daily  service  here.  Nor  were  these  all : 
the  dancing-girls  attached  to  the  temple  were  composed  of 
the  most  beautiful  women  that  India  could  furnish,  and  so 
great  was  the  prestige  of  this  shrine  that  kings  dedicated 
their  most  beautiful  daughters  to  enrich  its  coffers,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  revenues  of  two  thousand  villages  that  were 
ceded  to  it  by  the  combined  princes  of  Hindostan. 

Sultan  Mahmood,  who  had  seated  himself  on  the  throne 

and  unwilling  that  she  should  many  an  inferior  without  a  large  dowry, 
the  Rajpoot  father  got  rid  of  the  difficulties  of  his  position  by  destroy- 
ing his  female  children  at  the  moment  of  birth. 


THE   MOSLEMS   CONQUER   INDIA.  255 

of  Delhi,  heard  one  of  the  boasts  uttered  by  the  priests 
of  this  temple,  and  there  and  then  vowed  its  destruction, 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  and,  marching 
four  hundred  miles  overland  through  a  barren  and  almost 
impassable  country,  advanced  upon  the  environs  of  the 
temple,  which  were  strongly  fortified  and  garrisoned  by 
Rajpoot  soldiers.  Twice  the  priests  and  soldiers  of 
Swayan  Nath  beat  back  the  Moslems,  but  in  the  third 
onslaught  the  latter  bore  down  everything  before  them. 
In  vain  the  Brahman  priests  implored  them  to  spare  the 
idol,  offering  the  conqueror  large  sums  of  money  for  its 
ransom.  Mali  mood,  regardless  of  their  prayers  and  offers, 
gave  the  signal  for  its  destruction.  In  an  instant  the  huge 
god  of  stone  was  battered  to  pieces,  and  out  of  its  hollow 
sides  there  rolled  an  immense  treasure,  jewels  of  incon- 
ceivable value.  The  spoils  of  this  temple  alone  rendered 
the  Mohguls  all  but  invincible  in  the  East.  After  sack- 
ing the  temple  they  bore  off  in  triumph  its  wondrous  gates 
of  sandal-wood  inlaid  with  gold,  and  at  the  death  of  Mali- 
mood,  in  1030,  these  gates  adorned  the  splendid  mausoleum 
erected  over  his  remains.  Eight  hundred  years  after  they 
were  captured  by  the  English  troops  and  restored  to  the 
temple  of  Swayan  Nath  by  the  order  of  Lord  Ellen- 
borough,  then  governor-general  of  India. 

The  Mohammedan  capital  in  India  was  established  at 
Delhi  by  Khottub,  who  made  himself  master  of  that  city, 
of  which  he  had  been  governor,  about  the  year  1215.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Altinash,  who,  like  Khottub,  rose  to  the 
state  of  an  emperor  from  the  condition  of  a  slave.  The 
capital  was  now  permanently  fixed  at  Delhi,  and  it  was  in 
the  reign  of  this  king  that  the  beautiful  round  tower  of 
Khottub  Minar,  the  highest  known  column  in  the  world, 
was  built.  It  is  a  minaret  of  fine  red  granite  inlaid  with 
white  marble  and  crowned  with  a  magnificent  dome.  This 


256  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

Altinash  was  succeeded  by  his  daughter  Rhezeah,  a  woman 
of  great  natural  ability,  who  administered  the  affairs  of  the 
kingdom  with  remarkable  wisdom.  Dressed  as  a  sultan, 
she  gave  audience  to  her  nobles  and  officers  and  heard  and 
redressed  the  wrongs  of  her  people.  Nevertheless,  the 
authority  of  these  Mohammedan  kings  over  the  Rajpoot 
chiefs  was  very  uncertain,  for  at  every  change  in  the  gov- 
ernment, which  was  very  frequent,  the  Hindoo  princes 
attempted  to  recover  their  independence.  Thus  when  the 
Gheiyas  Tooklak  (or  Toghlak)  possessed  himself  of  the 
throne  of  Delhi,  the  greater  part  of  India  was  in  a  state 
of  revolt. 

Ferozee  Shah,  crowned  emperor  in  1351,  greatly  enriched 
and  beautified  the  city  of  Delhi,  built  the  great  canal  through 
the  province  of  Delhi  from  the  river  Jumna  to  that  of  Cag- 
gar,  two  hundred  miles  of  which  have  been  reopened  by 
the  British  government,  thus  fertilizing  a  vast  tract  of 
country  which  had  long  been  a  great  desert.  It  was  after 
the  death  of  this  prince  that  the  Mohgul  Timoor  Lang 
(Tamerlane),  who  had  conquered  Persia,  captured  and 
destroyed  the  city  of  Delhi.  Years  after  Timoor  Lang's 
death  one  of  his  descendants,  named  Baber,  once  more 
established  the  Mohgul  monarchy  in  India,  about  the 
year  1498,  when  the  Portuguese  maritime  discoveries  be- 
gan to  make  an  important  revolution  in  the  commercial 
world. 

Baber  was  succeeded  by  the  great  emperor  Homayoun, 
whose  remains  are  marked  by  a  magnificent  tomb  near 
Delhi.  Akbar,  his  son,  one  of  the  wisest  of  the  Mohgul 
rulers,  had  the  prudence  to  marry  a  Hindoo  princess,  the 
daughter  of  Baharmal,  the  rajah  of  Jeypoor  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Rajpootana.  He  conquered  the  beautiful  kingdom 
of  Cashmere,  one  of  the  most  enchanting  spots  in  the 
world.  He  built  the  city  and  famous  palace  of  Fettihpoor- 


"THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  PALACE."  257 

Shikri  in  the  province  of  Agra ;  his  palace  of  white  mar- 
ble and  a  magnificent  mosque  are  still  to  be  seen  in  excel- 
lent preservation.  It  was  in  the  reign  of  Akbar  that 
Christian .  missionaries  first  received  a  hearing  at  a  Mo- 
hammedan court.  They  were  sent  to  Agra  by  the  bishop 
of  Goa.  On  Friday  evenings  it  was  also  the  custom  of 
this  prince  to  assemble  all  the  learned  men  around  him  for 
the  purpose  of  holding  free  discussions,  where  Mohammed- 
ans, Christians,  Jews,  Brahmans,  and  Fire- worshippers 
gave  their  opinions  and  discoursed  about  the  most  inter- 
esting themes  of  the  day  without  restraint  or  fear.  He 
also  instituted  free  public  schools  for  Mohammedan  and 
Hindoo  children. 

Akbar  died  at  Agra  in  1605,  and  over  his  remains  there 
still  stands  a  splendid  mausoleum  of  vast  dimensions.  He 
was  succeeded  by  his  son  Selim,  better  known  under  the 
title  which  he  assumed  of  Jehan  Ghir,  "  conqueror  of  the 
world."  The  life  and  history  of  this  king  are  the  most 
romantic  in  the  annals  of  India. 

Noor  Jehan,  "  the  Dawn  of  Life,"  so  well  known  by  the 
name  of  Noor  Mahal,  or  "  the  Light  of  the  Palace,"  was 
the  daughter  of  a  poor  Persian  adventurer,  a  noble  in  his 
own  country,  reduced  by  a  series  of  misfortunes  at  home, 
which  led  him  to  seek  better  fortunes  in  India,  accompa- 
nied by  his  wife  and  little  daughter.  The  distressed  con- 
dition of  the  poor  father  and  mother  and  the  beauty  of 
the  child  attracted  the  attention  of  a  rich  merchant  of 
( 'andiesh,  whose  caravan  these  Persians  had  been  follow- 
ing in  order  to  keep  themselves  from  starving.  It  was 
through  this  merchant's  influence  that  the  father  of  the 
little  Noor  Jehan  obtained  the  subordinate  position  of 
gatekeeper  at  the  court  of  Akbar.  Noor  Jehan,  who  was 
in  the  habit  of  playing  round  the  palace-gate,  attracted 
the  attention  of  Akbar.  Struck  with  her  beauty,  he  at 
17 


258  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

once  introduced  the  little  maiden  to  his  Rajpootanee  wife, 
with  whom  she  became  a  great  favorite,  and  thus  the  little 
Noor  Jehan  became  the  playmate  and  companion  of  the 
young  prince  Selim.  A  deep  attachment  sprang  up  be- 
tween the  children.  But  at  length,  when  Noor  Jehan  at- 
tained the  age  of  womanhood,  her  father  suddenly  with- 
drew her  from  the  court  and  consummated  a  marriage  for 
her  with  Shere  Af  khan,  a  rich  nobleman  of  Bengal,  and 
thus  removed  the  beautiful  girl  from  her  dangerous  royal 
lover  Selim.  Selim  was  also  married  about  the  same  time 
by  Akbar  to  a  foreign  princess  of  Kabool.  But  the  mo- 
ment his  father  died,  and  Selim  had  ascended  the  throne 
under  the  name  and  title  of  Jehan  Ghir,  he  determined  to 
obtain  the  beautiful  Noor  Jehan  for  his  wife.  With  this 
end  in  view  he  wrote  to  the  viceroy  of  Bengal  to  seek 
some  pretext  to  place  Shere  Af  khan  in  confinement  that 
he  might  the  more  readily  succeed  in  his  designs.  Shere 
Af  khan,  suspecting  some  treachery  on  the  part  of  the  vice- 
roy, repaired  to  his  house  fully  armed,  and,  as  certain  hos- 
tile steps  confirmed  his  suspicions,  he  slew  the  viceroy 
as  he  attempted  to  lay  hands  on  him,  but  the  guards  in 
waiting,  hearing  the  cry  of  their  master,  rushed  in  and 
despatched  Shere  Af  khan.  That  very  night  the  emissa- 
ries of  Jehan  Ghir  carried  off  Noor  Jehan  to  Delhi. 

But  Noor  Jehan,  prisoner  as  she  felt  herself  at  the  court 
of  her  former  lover,  refused  to  listen  to  his  proposals  of 
marriage  until  he  should  prove  himself  innocent  of  her 
husband's  murder.  After  several  years  Jehan  Ghir  satis- 
fied the  beautiful  widow  that  he  had  never  intended  Shere 
Af  khan's  death,  but  only  his  temporary  imprisonment  in 
order  to  obtain  her  for  his  queen.  Finally,  the  nuptials 
of  Noor  Jehan  and  Jehan  Ghir  were  celebrated  with 
splendor.  The  power  and  influence  exercised  by  this 
beautiful  woman  at  the  Mohammedan  court  was  unparal- 


NOOK  MAHAL'S  INTREPIDITY.  259 

leled  in  the  history  of  the  Mohguls  of  India.  Her  name 
was  associated  with  that  of  Jehan  Ghir  in  the  palace,  in 
the  council,  on  the  throne,  in  the  judgment-hall,  and  even 
on  the  coins  of  the  country.  Noor  Mahal,  or  "  the  Light 
of  the  Palace,"  as  she  was  ever  after  called,  was  more  or 
less  influenced  by  the  counsels  of  her  father,  who  was 
raised  to  the  office  of  grand  vizier,  and  is  acknowledged 
to  have  been  one  of  the  best  and  wisest  ministers  who  ever 
ruled  at  the  court  of  a  Mohammedan  king. 

Mohabat  Khan,  a  noble  in  the  service  of  Jehan  Ghir, 
had  somehow  incurred  the  displeasure  of  Noor  Mahal,  but 
being  a  man  of  great  talents  he  was  employed  to  quell  a 
rebellion  entered  into  by  Shah  Jehan,  the  eldest  son  of 
Jehan  Ghir,  to  dethrone  his  father.  Having  defeated  the 
son  and  won  him  over  to  his  cause,  Mohabat  Khan  took 
the  father  prisoner.  No  sooner  did  Noor  Mahal  hear  of 
the  captivity  of  her  husband  than  she  placed  herself  at 
the  head  of  her  troops,  and,  mounted  on  an  elephant,  pro- 
ceeded to  give  battle  to  Mohabat  Khan  and  to  rescue  her 
husband.  She  was  defeated,  and  fled  to  the  court  of  La- 
hore for  safety.  But  Mohabat,  who  had  resolved  to  put 
Noor  Mahal  to  death,  extorted  from  Jehan  Ghir  a  war- 
rant to  that  effect,  and  through  letters  which  he  caused 
Jehan  Ghir  to  write  he  induced  the  unsuspecting  and  lov- 
ing wife  to  join  her  husband  in  captivity.  Once  in  the 
enemy's  camp,  she  saw  that  her  death  was  determined 
upon.  Professing  herself  willing  to  submit  to  her  fate, 
she  pleaded  only  a  last  interview  with  her  husband,  which 
Mohabat  granted,  but  took  care  to  be  present  himself.  On 
the  day  appointed  for  her  execution  Noor  Mahal  quietly 
entered  the  presence  of  her  unworthy  husband  and  her 
implacable  foe.  She  stood  before  them  in  deep  silence, 
her  hands  clasped,  her  veil  thrown  back,  and  her  beauty 
shining  with  an  additional  lustre  through  her  flowing 


260  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

tears.  Jehan  Ghir  burst  into  a  passion  of  tears,  and, 
throwing  himself  at  the  feet  of  his  captor,  pleaded  so 
eloquently  for  her  life  that  the  heart  of  Mohabat  was 
subdued.  He  not  only  granted  her  life,  but,  strange  to 
say,  became  a  friend  to  Noor  Mahal,  and  finally  restored 
her  and  her  husband  to  the  throne  of  Delhi. 

With  but  few  exceptions,  however,  rebellions,  assassin- 
ations, treachery,  and  misrule  marked  the  reigns  of  all  the 
Mohammedan  emperors  of  India.  Upon  the  death  of 
Aurungzebe,  the  grandson  of  Jehan  Ghir,  the  empire  of 
Hindostan  was  divided  by  his  command  between  his  three 
sons,  which  partition  led  to  a  series  of  most  disastrous  civil 
wars,  and,  happily  for  the  country,  almost  terminated  the 
Moslem  power  in  India. 

In  1738  the  Persian  emperor,  Nahdir  Shah,  took  Delhi 
with  little  effort.  The  night  of  the  capture  a  report  was 
raised  that  Nahdir  Shah  had  died  suddenly,  and  the  popu- 
lace rose  en  masse  and  massacred  over  seven  thousand  Per- 
sian soldiers.  On  the  following  day  Nahdir  Shah  gave  the 
fearful  command  which  almost  decimated  the  population 
of  Delhi,  after  which  he  reinstated  the  humbled  monarch, 
Mohammed  Shah,  on  the  throne,  and  returned  to  Persia, 
carrying  away  with  him  treasure  amounting  to  seventy 
million  pounds  sterling  and  the  celebrated  peacock  throne 
of  Shah  Jehan.  In  1760  the  nominal  king  of  Delhi, 
Alum  Shah,  became  tributary  to  the  East  Indian  Com- 
pany. 

The  Mohammedans  of  Hindostan,  like  those  elsewhere, 
are  divided  into  a  number  of  sects,  all  more  or  less  ac- 
knowledging the  apostleship  of  Mohammed,  but  differing 
in  their  estimate  of  the  inspiration  of  the  Koran  and  other 
minor  points  of  doctrine.  TheSunnis,  for  instance,  hold 
that  the  traditions  of  the  Prophetare  of  equal  authority 
with  the  Koran ;  they  therefore  venerate  the  successors  of 


MOHAMMEDAN  SECTAEIANS.  261 

Mohammed,  Abu  Bahkr,  Omar,  Usman,  and  AH,  as  di- 
vinely-appointed Khalifahs  or  teachers;  the  Arabs,  Turks, 
Afghans,  and  the  Rohillas  of  India  more  or  less  belong 
to  the  Sunni  sect.  These  undertake  long  pilgrimages  to 
Mekka,  and  are  very  tenacious  on  points  of  doctrine, 
often  putting  to  death  the  heterodox  of  their  own  re- 
ligion. The  _Shiahs,  another  very  powerful  sect  of  Mo- 
hammedans, wholly  reject  the  "Sunnahs,"  or  traditions, 
and  with  them  the  four  successors  of  the  Prophet.  They 
perform  pilgrimages,  not  to  Mecca  or  Medinah,  but  to 
the  tomb  of  Husain  at  Kaibelah.  The  Koran  is  their 
only  guide.  The  Shiahs  are  found  in  the  vicinity  of 
Cabool,  Oude,  and  parts  of  Bundelcund. 

The  "  Hanifi,"  as  another  sect  of  Mohammedans  is 
called,  are  the  disciples  of  Abu  Hanifah,  an  Arabic  theo- 
logian of  great  renown  who  flourished  about  the  year  80 
of  the  Hejira.  He  denied  predestination  as  unworthy 
of  a  divine  and  merciful  Creator,  and  declared  fate  to  be 
nothing  more  or  less  than  the  free  will  of  the  individual. 
He  was  thrown  into  prison  for  his  bold  utterances,  and 
died  there.  Years  after,  Maluk  Shah  Seljuki  erected  a 
splendid  mausoleum  to  his  memory  in  Bagdad,  to  which 
spot  his  followers  in  Hindostan  make  special  pilgrimages. 

The  ShaffidSj  again,  are  quite  a  distinct  sect,  so  called 
from  their  leader  Shaffid  Abu  Abdullah,  another  cele- 
brated Arabic  divine.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Gaza 
in  Palestine  in  the  year  150  of  the  Hejira,  but  educated 
in  Persia,  where  he  composed  most  of  his  works  on  the- 
ology and  jurisprudence.  Some  of  his  precepts  are  still 
taught  in  the  Shaffid  Mohammedan  schools.  This  sect  is 
scattered  over  the  province  of  Najapatam  and  in  the  city 
of  Nagpoore. 

The  Maliki,  still  another  of  the  Mohammedan  denomi- 
nations, follow  the  teachings  of  one  Malik  Ibn  Aus,  a  man 


262  LIFE   AND  TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

of  some  learning,  but  whose  works  are  filled  with  astrology 
and  mysticism.  Many  of  his  followers  are  to  be  found 
among  the  mendicants  and  fakeers  of  Hindostan. 

The  Hanbhali  sect  are  not  very  numerous,  but  are  said 
to  be  extremely  dogmatic  in  their  own  belief.  They  ad- 
here to  the  precepts  of  the  priest  after  whom  they  are 
called,  and  deny  the  divine  origin  of  the  Koran,  holding 
only  such  maxims  contained  in  it  as  are  based  on  pure 
morality  and  monotheism.  These  comprise  the  most  ad- 
vanced and  enlightened  schools  of  Mohammedans  to  be 
found  in  India  to-day. 

Last,  but  not  least,  are  the  Suffis,  a  refined,  learned,  and 
mystical  sect  of  Mohammedans.  They  are  divided  among 
themselves  on  doctrinal  points :  some  are  pure  rationalists, 
others  materialists,  and  yet  others  again  pantheists ;  the 
latter  promulgate  theories  about  the  soul  that  are  in  form 
and  idea  similar  to  those  of  the  high-caste  and  educated 
Brahmans. 

Such  are  the  most  important  sects  to  be  found  among 
the  Mohammedans  of  Hindostan.  Their  intermixture 
with  the  Hindoos  has  produced  a  number  of  minor  sects 
and  classes  of  Musulmans,  as  well  as  a  very  marked 
change  in  their  manners  and  customs.  The  Hindoos 
seem  to  have  very  greatly  influenced  the  Mohammedans. 
The  feeling  of  caste  and  defilement  and  other  Hindoo  re- 
strictions have  gradually  assumed  more  and  more  import- 
ance in  the  Moslem  mind  in  India.  An  Indian  Moham- 
medan is  hemmed  about  with  endless  observances  reach- 
ing down  even  to  preserving  the  sanctity  of  his  pots  and 
pans,  as  with  the  Brahmans.  A  Mohammedan  will 
as  religiously  guard  his  "  lota,"  or  drinking-vessel,  from 
defilement  as  if  he  were  a  high-caste  Brahman,  and  super- 
stition attaches  to  all  his  surroundings  and  habiliments 
and  actions — to  his  earrings,  which  are  worn  as  a  charm, 


A   MOHAMMEDAX  BETEOTHAL.  263 

his  sandals,  his  topi,  or  turban,  his  beard,  and  even  his 
toe-  and  finger-nails,  which  can  only  be  pared  on  certain 
days  of  the  waxing  moon.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
Mohammedan  on  Indian  soil  differs  very  greatly  in  his 
habits  and  feelings  from  the  Mohammedan  of  Persia  and 
Arabia.  As  the  early  Aryan  accommodated  himself  to 
the  deities  and  superstitions  of  the  aboriginals,  so  the 
Mohammedan  has  greatly  conformed  to  customs,  man- 
ners, and  superstitions  indigenous  almost  to  the  soil  of 
India. 

This  socialfusipn  is  especially  perceptible  in  the  con- 
dition of  the  women  of  Hindostan.  The  Hindoo  woman 
has  gradually  borrowed  the  seclusion  of  the  zenana  from 
her  aristocratic  Mohammedan  sister  (the  hareem  and  the 
zenana  are  but  different  names  for  one  and  the  same 
thing),  while  the  latter  in  her  turn  has  adopted  many  of 
the  rules  and  endless  ceremonies  of  the  Hindoos.  Thus, 
for  instance,  marriage  among  the  Mohammedans  must  be 
contracted  very  early,  and  solemnized  when  the  youth 
is  eighteen  and  the  maiden  thirteen.  The  courtship  is 
always  carried  on  by  some  elderly  females,  who  are  in- 
structed to  find  out  and  report  the  charms  of  such  young 
people  among  whose  parents  matrimonial  connections  are 
deemed  desirable.  This  done,  the  astrologer,  who  is  very 
often  a  Brahman,  is  consulted ;  he  examines  the  horoscope 
of  the  young  couple  and  decides  whether  the  marriage 
will  be  auspicious  and  when  it  shall  take  place,  etc.  After 
this  comes  the  betrothal,  consisting  of  no  less  than  six  dif- 
ferent ceremonies :  First,  a  present  of  betel-leaves  to  the 
relatives  of  the  young  girl  is  given  by  the  future  bride- 
groom ;  these  leaves  are  often  folded  in  fine  gold  tissue- 
paper  and  stuck  with  cloves ;  each  clove  must  be  perfect, 
with  the  little  blossom  attached  to  the  end  of  it.  The 
second  is  called  "sweet  solicitations."  The  young  man 


264  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

repairs  to  the  young  girl's  house  with  attendants  carrying 
presents,  and  in  returning  to  his  own  bears  back  with  him 
large  presents  of  sweetmeats.  This  is  followed  by  an  im- 
portant ceremony  called  "treading  the  threshold."  At 
dawn  the  young  man  stands  before  the  door  of  the  young 
girl's  home,  repeats  a  prayer,  and  boldly  crosses  the 
threshold ;  here  the  mother  embraces  him,  ties  a  colored 
handkerchief  around  his  neck,  puts  a  gold  ring  provided 
for  the  occasion  on  his  finger,  and  fills  his  palms  with 
money — signs  of  her  cordial  acceptance  of  him  as  a  fu- 
ture son.  This  is  followed  by  a  three  days'  visit  to  the 
future  bride's  home ;  on  each  day  he  partakes  of  a  meal 
every  dish  of  which  is  some  kind  of  sweetmeat ;  on  the 
fourth  day  he  joins  the  family  at  their  ordinary  meal, 
where  the  ceremony  of  sharing  the  salt  takes  place.  The 
young  woman,  closely  veiled,  is  seated  by  her  lover ;  at 
the  opening  of  the  meal  he  takes  some  salt  on  his  platter 
and  transfers  a  part  of  it  to  her  plate,  and  she  does  the 
same ;  this  little  act  renders  the  marriage  contract  sacred. 
The  day  previous  to  the  wedding  is  spent  in  purification, 
bathing,  and  anointing  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom  at 
their  respective  homes.  The  ceremonies  are  much  like 
those  of  the  Brahmans.  The  person  of  the  young  girl  is 
rubbed  over  with  a  compound  of  grain,  flour,  turmeric, 
ashes  of  rose-leaves,  and  fragrant  gums  mixed  into  a  paste 
with  sweet  oil.  This  preparation  is  laid  on  the  person  of 
the  young  woman,  and  left  to  dry  for  an  hour  or  two, 
after  which  she  is  bathed  with  seven  waters,  four  hot  and 
three  cold.  This  done,  her  fingers,  toes,  tips  of  her  ears, 
and  all  the  joints  of  her  body  are  anointed  with  a  mix- 
ture of  sandal-wood  powder,  ashes  of  burnt  rose-buds,  and 
sweet  oil,  after  which  she  is  sprinkled  with  rose-water,  and 
conveyed,  all  closely  veiled,  to  the  mosque,  where  she  re- 
peats seven  Kalimahs  for  herself  and  her  future  husband. 


MOHAMMEDAN   BRIDAL  DRESS.  265 

Oh  this  day  a  procession  in  order  to  exchange  wedding- 
garments  from  one  to  the  other  takes  place. 

The  marriage  ceremony  is  always  performed  in  the 
evening.  I  was  present  at  the  marriage  of  the  daughter 
of  a  moolah  (or  Mohammedan  bishop)  named  Allih  Bash- 
ka  Deen,  and  the  ceremony  derived  its  chief  attraction 
from  the  gentle  loveliness  of  the  bride  and  the  beauty 
of  her  dress.  She  wore  a  purple  silk  petticoat  embossed 
with  a  rich  border  of  scattered  bunches  of  flowers,  each 
flower  formed  of  various  gems,  while  the  leaves  and  stems 
were  of  Embroidered  gold  and  silk  threads.  Her  boddice 
was  of  the  same  material  as  the  petticoat ;  the  entire  vest 
was  marked  with  circular  rows  of  pearls  and  rubies.  Her 
hair  was  parted  in  Greek  style  and  confined  at  the  back 
in  a  graceful  knot  bound  by  a  fillet  of  gold ;  on  her  brow 
rested  a  beautiful  flashing  star  of  diamonds.  On  her  ears, 
neck,  arms,  breast,  and*  waist  were  a  profusion  of  orna- 
ments. Her  slippers,  adorned  with  gold  and  seed  pearls, 
were  open  at  the  heels,  showing  her  henna-tinted  feet, 
and  curved  up  in  front  .toward  the  instep,  while  from  her 
head  flowed  a  delicate  kinkaub  scarf  woven  from  gold 
threads  of  the  finest  texture  and  of  a  transparent,  daz- 
zling, sunbeam-like  appearance.  This  was  folded  grace- 
fully about  her  person  and  veiled  her  eyes  and  nose,  leav- 
ing only  her  mouth  and  chin  visible. 

While  the  guests,  relatives,  and  friends  of  the  bride 
were  all  assembled  at  the  bishop's  house  the  bridegroom 
had  started  off  to  perform  what  .is  called  the  "shaba 
ghash,"  or  nocturnal  visit.  Gayly  dressed,  handsomely 
mounted,  the  young  Akbar  Khauibni  Ahbad,  attended 
by  his  nearest  relatives  and  friends  and  accompanied  by  a 
host  of  musicians,  rode  to  the  mosque  at  Kirki,  where  he 
offered  up  three  distinct  prayers — one  for  the  future  wife, 
one  for  himself,  and  one  for  the  happiness  and  success  of 


266  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

all  his  undertakings,  especially  the  one  he  was  about  to 
consummate.  This  done,  he  and  his  friends  mounted 
and  approached  the  house  of  the  bride.  The  moment  the 
cavalcade  of  the  bridegroom  appeared  in  sight  a  number 
of  well-dressed  young  Mohammedans  rushed  to  the  gate 
of  the  courtyard,  and  with  loud  shouts  most  violently 
opposed  his  entrance,  whereupon  he  scattered  money  in 
handfuls  among  them,  which  was  the  signal  for  them  to 
give  way.  Here  the  youth  dismounted,  but  was  not  per- 
mitted to  walk  into  the  house,  for  a  stalwart-looking  man 
took  him  up  in  his  arms  and  attempted  to  rush  in  with 
him;  here  again  he  was  once  more  resisted  by  another 
party  of  friends  and  relatives,  till  he  again  scattered  a 
handful  of  gold  coins  among  them,  thus  carrying  out  the 
Oriental  saying:  "He  lined  the  path  to  his  love  with 
golden  flowers."  After  this  no  further  opposition  was 
made.  The  bride  and  bridegroom,  both  veiled,  the  latter 
with  two  coverings  over  his  face,  took  their  places  in  the 
centre  of  the  room,  and  every  one  stood  up.  The  khazi, 
or  judge,  then  stepped  forward,  and,  having  removed  the 
double  veil  from  the  bridegroom's  face,  began  the  cere- 
mony. The  young  man  repeated  after  him  certain  prayers 
— one  deprecating  his  own  merits  and  attractions  in  com- 
parison with  those  of  the  bride — after  which  came  long 
repetitions  from  the  Koran  treating  of  fervor,  love,  and 
devotion,  followed  by  repetitions  of  the  Mohammedan 
creed  and  a  general  thanksgiving.  At  this  point  all  the 
assembly  prostrated  themselves,  the  khazi  joined  the  hands 
of  the  bride  and  bridegroom,  the  latter  repeated  word  for 
word  the  marriage- vows,  and  the  whole  was  concluded 
with  a  benediction,  after  which  the  bride,  still  veiled,  was 
carried  to  the  bridegroom's  house,  and  he  followed  in  her 
train,  accompanied  with  music,  beating  of  drums,  and  loud 
shouts  of  joy  from  his  attendants  and  followers. 


MOHAMMEDAN   BAPTISM.  267 

On  the  birth  of  a  child,  if  it  happens  to  be  a  male, 
all  the  female  attendants  utter  loud  shouts  of  joy.  The 
mother  is  kept  on  very  simple  diet,  and  obliged  to  drink 
water  made  hot  by  a  heated  horseshoe  being  plunged  into 
it ;  this  has  the  power  of  guarding  against  internal  devils, 
who  are  supposed  to  be  very  active  on  such  occasions, 
lying  in  wait  for  mother  and  child.  The  moolah  is  then 
ushered  into  the  chamber :  he  takes  the  child  in  his  arms 
and  repeats  in  his  right  ear  the  Mohammedan  summons 
to  prayer,  and  in  his  left  the  creed.  A  fakeer  is  then 
introduced :  he  dips  his  finger  in  some  honey  and  puts 
it  into  the  child's  mouth  before  it  has  tasted  any  of  its 
mother's  milk,  which  is  to  ensure  it  all  the  luxuries  of 
life.  After  these  have  retired  an  astrologer  casts  the 
horoscope  of  the  child,  and  there  and  then  predicts  its 
future,  which,  good  or  bad,  is  accepted  as  fate  and  with- 
out a  murmur.  Meanwhile,  the  nearest  relatives  -assem- 
ble around  the  father  and  dress  his  hair  with  blades  of 
grass — a  Hindoo  observance,  grass  typifying  the  fragility 
of  human  life  and  affections — and  he  in  turn  makes  them 
presents  according  to  his  circumstances. 

The  naming  of  the  child  takes  place  on  the  eighth  day 
after  birth.  If  a  son,  it  is  named  after  the  father's  clan  or 
tribe ;  if  a  daughter,  after  the  mother's  side  of  the  family. 
The  choice  of  the  child's  name  depends  on  the  day  of  its 
birth  and  the  appearance  of  the  planet  under  whose  influ- 
ence it  is  supposed  to  be  born,  as  much  as  on  the  parent- 
age. The  mother  remains  apart  from  the  household  till 
the  fortieth  day  after  childbirth ;  then  she  is  bathed,  fumi- 
gated, and  purified,  and  so  prepared  to  enter  the  mosque, 
where  she  oifers  up  thanks  for  her  safe  deliverance  from 
the  perils  of  childbirth,  and  either  reads  or  has  portions 
of  the  Koran  read  to  her,  offering  a  sacrifice  of  two  goats 
for  a  son  and  one  for  a  daughter. 


268  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

On  the  same  day,  in  the  afternoon,  another  ceremony  is 
held — that  of  shaving  the  hair  of  the  child.  A  priest 
and  a  barber  attend  to  this  rite ;  prayers  are  offered,  water 
is  sprinkled  over  the  head  of  the  child,  and  the  hai^  shaved 
off  is  carried  in  procession  to  the  water's  edge,  and  then 
launched  on  a  little  raft  to  float  down  the  river.  By  this 
ceremony  all  evil  is  guarded  from  the  infancy  and  child- 
hood of  Mohammedan  children.  Very  often  sacred  locks 
are  left  on  the  top  of  the  heads  of  Mohammedan  children, 
like  those  of  the  Brahmans,  and  these  locks  are  conse- 
crated to  some  saint  or  noble  ancestor. 

The  other  ceremony  worthy  of  notice  here  is  that  at- 
tending the  death,  and^_buria.l  of  the  Mohammedans  in 
India.  When  a  Mohammedan  is  thought  to  be  dying  a 
priest  is  sent  for,  who  prays  before  the  family,  then  re- 
pairs to  the  sick  chamber,  where  he  exhorts  the  dying 
man  to  attend  to  the  welfare  of  his  soul,  and  proceeds  to 
read  the  chapter  on  future  life,  rewards)  and  punishments, 
and  the  two  most  important  creeds — faith  in  God  and  in 
Mohammed  as  his  prophet.  After  death  the  body  is 
placed  on  a  bier  and  conveyed  with  great  pomp,  beating 
of  drums,  wailing  of  women  and  near  relatives,  to  the 
Musulman  cemetery,  where  there  are  always  tanks  and 
utensils  for  bathing  the  dead  before  interment.  Here  the 
body  is  carefully  washed  seven  times,  and  then  perfumed 
with  powdered  sandal-wood,  camphor,  and  myrrh.  The 
forehead,  hands,  knees,  and  feet  of  the  dead  man  are  es- 
pecially rubbed ;  these  parts,  having  touched  the  earth  at 
moments  of  prayer,  are  held  more  sacred  than  the  rest  of 
the  body.  The  two  great  toes  are  then  tied  together;  a 
shroud  or  winding-sheet,  prepared  by  the  dead  man  him- 
self, on  which  he  has  caused  to  be  written  from  time  to 
time  the  most  beautiful  passages  from  the  Koran,  is  folded 
around  him  very  firmly  and  around  each  arm.  After  this 


MOHAMMEDAN  FUNERAL.  269 

the  body  is  replaced  on  the  bier,  every  one  salutes  it,  and 
the  bearers  carry  it  to  the  grave.  Here  all  the  friends  and 
relatives  stand  in  three  rows,  and  at  the  head  of  every  row 
is  a  priest,  who  solemnly  begins  the  chant,  consisting 
chiefly  of  prayers  and  confessions  for  the  dead.  The  body 
is  at  length  lowered  into  the  grave  with  its  face  toward 
Mecca,  and  each  relative,  taking  a  little  earth  in  his  hand, 
repeats  the  solemn  utterance  of  their  Prophet,  made  in 
the  name  of  God  and  his  archangel  Gabriel :  "  We  cre- 
ated you,  O  man,  out  of  earth,  and  we  return  you  to  the 
earth,  and  we  shall  raise  you  up  again  on  the  last  day," 
and  throws  the  earth  -softly  on  the  bier.  The  grave  is 
then  closed,  and  fatiahs,  or  prayers  for  the  dead,  are 
offered  on  the  spot  at  stated  seasons  throughout  the  first 
year. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

The  Temples  of  Ellora,  the  Holy  Place  of  the  Deccan. — Nashik,  the 
Land  of  the  Ramayana. — Sights  and  Scenes  on  the  Banks  of  the 
Godaveri. — Damaun,  the  most  famous  of  the  Indo-Portuguese 
Towns. 

WE  bade  adieu  to  the  old  historical  city  of  the  great 
Aurungzebe  just  as  the  first  streak  of  sunlight  was  gilding 
the  conical  summit  of  the  fortress  of  Dowlutabad,  and, 
wending  our  way  laboriously  up  the  steep  Pipla  Ghaut, 
we  emerged  on  the  other  side  on  a  fertile  plain  planted 
with  magnificent  trees  and  covered  with  innumerable 
mausoleums  and  tombs,  through  which  our  bullocks  made 
straight  for  the  western  boundary  of  the  beautiful  hill  of 
Rauzah.  Here  we  reached  a  spot  of  perfect  tranquillity 
and  beauty,  but  which  must  have  been  at  some  ancient 
time  a  scene  of  intense  activity.  The  present  little  village 
of  Kllora,  consisting  of  a  number  of  Hindoo  dwellings, 
is  almost  hidden  among  groves  of  fine  trees,  and  is  only 
remarkable  because  it  lies  immediately  at  the  foot  of  a 
high  wall  of  rock  in  which  the  vast  cayern-tempjes  of 
this  neighborhood  are  found  and  to  which  it  owes  its 
prosperity. 

We  alighted  from  our  wagons  on  the  verandah  of  a 
well-built  pagoda ;  near  it  was  a  fine  reservoir  with  flights 
of  broad  stone  steps  leading  down  to  the  water's  edge.  On 
the  bank  or  upper  stonework  of  this  reservoir  are  a  num- 
ber of  artistic  little  Hindoo  temples  or  shrines,  the  roofs 
supported  by  light  delicate  pillars,  giving  an  airy  and  grace- 

270 


THE   HOCK-CUT  TEMPLES   OF  ELLORA.  271 

ful  appearance  to  the  whole  village.  As  soon  as  Govind 
had  gone  through  his  prayers  and  ablutions  we  started  off, 
accompanied  by  a  couple  of  sage-looking  Hindoo  guides, 
for  the  cavern-temples.  We  followed  our  guides  for  some 
little  distance,  when  they  left  the  highroad  and  struck  a 
narrow,  steep  path,  and  all  at  once,  when  we  were  least 
expecting  it,  a  sudden  turn  brought  us  into  the  presence 
of  the  great  "  rock-cut  temples  "  that  render  this  spot  the 
holiest  of  all  places  in  the  Deccan.  Down  went  Govjnd 
and  our  guides  prostrate  on  their  faces  and  hands. 

The  solitude,  the  quiet  stillness  of  the  spot,  with  the 
bright  morning  sun  flooding  hill  and  plain  and  pene- 
trating the  depths  of  these  excavations,  were  impressive. 
The  temple  before  us  was  a  large  open  court  and  deep 
vaulted  chamber,  massive  and  elaborately  carved,  and 
chiselled  from  the  heart  of  the  mountain  itself,  and  rising 
up  nearly  a  hundred  feet.  There  were  many  other  tem- 
ples in  the  hillside,  with  doorways,  arches,  pillars,  win- 
dows, galleries,  and  verandahs,  supported  by  solid  stone 
pillars  filled  with  figures  of  gods  and  goddesses,  heroes, 
giants,  birds,  beasts,  and  reptiles  of  every  shape — quite 
enough  to  baffle  the  most  careful  student  in  anything  like 
a  thorough  examination  of  their  vast  and  intricate  work- 
manship. 

"We  went  in  and  out,  climbing  stone-cut  steps  up,  down, 
and  round  about  the  caves,  not  knowing  which  temple  to 
admire  most  or  on  which  to  bestow  undivided  attention. 
It  would  take  weeks  to  explore  them  thoroughly.  There 
is  a  very  fine  cavern-temple  dedicated  to  Pur  Sawanath, 
"  the  Lord  of  Purity,"  the  twenty-third  of  the  great  saints 
of  the  Jains  of  this  era.*  An  image  resembling  those 

*  Pur  Sawanath  and  Mah-vira,  the  twenty-third  and  twenty-fourth 
pontiffs  of  the  present  era  of  the  Jains,  seem  to  have  superseded  all  the 
former  saints  in  sanctity  of  character.  They  are  described  by  the  Jains 


272  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

that  are  seen  of  Buddha,  stone  tigers,  and  elephants  bear 
up  the  altar  on  which  he  is  seated ;  from  the  middle  of 
the  altar  there  projects  a  curious  wheel  on  which  is  carved 
the  Hindoo  astronomical  table,  and  a  seven-headed  serpent 
is  seen  over  the  head  of  the  god. 

Another  very  beautiful  excavation,  consisting  of  three 
temples  or  compartments,  is  dedicated  to  Jaggar-Nath 
Buddh,  or  "the  Enlightened  Lord  of  the  Universe;" 
these  temples  are  best  known,  however,  by  the  name  of 
Indra  Sabha,  or  "  the  assembly  of  Indra."  These  caves 
are  two-storied,  containing  images  of  Indra — "  the  darter 
of  the  swift  blue  bolt,"  as  he  is  called — seated  on  a  royal 
elephant,  with  his  attendants  about  him,  and  of  Indranee, 
his  wife,  riding  on  a  couchant  lion,  with  her  son  in  her 
arms  and  her  maids  around  her.  The  sacred  trees  of  the 
Hindoos — Kalpa  Vriksha,  the  tree  of  the  ages  or  of  life — 
are  growing  out  of  their  heads ;  on  the  one  overshadowing 
Indra  are  carved  peacocks,  emblematic  of  royalty,  and 
fruits  resembling  the  rose-apple,  sacred  to  love,  grow  on 

as  having  thirty-six  superhuman  attributes  of  mind  and  body — beauty 
of  form,  fragrance  of  breath ;  curling  hair,  which  does  not  increase  in 
length  or  decrease  in  quantity,  the  same  qualities  being  attached  to 
their  beards  and  nails ;  a  white  complexion,  exemption  from  all  im- 
purities, hunger,  decay,  bodily  infirmity  or  disease  of  any  kind.  The 
spiritual  attributes  are  those  of  justice,  truth,  faith,  love,  benevolence, 
freedom  from  all  anger  and  all  earthly  desires,  immense  power  of  de- 
votion; hence  of  working  miracles,  of  making  themselves  heard  at  vast 
distances,  speaking  intelligibly  to  men,  animals,  and  gods,  of  material- 
izing spirits  and  conversing  with  them,  and  the  power  of  scattering  war, 
plague,  famine,  storms,  death,  sickness,  or  evil  of  any  kind  by  their  im- 
mediate presence.  The  heads  of  these  Jain  saints  are  always  described 
as  surrounded  with  a  halo  of  light,  whose  brightness  is  greater  and  more 
far-reaching  than  that  of  the  sun.  The  Brahmans,  it  is  said,  with  great 
adroitness,  in  order  to  draw  to  these  temples  the  Jain  pilgrims  from 
Guzerat,  Bombay,  and  other  parts  of  India,  take  care  to  represent  their 
god  Parshurama,  an  incarnation  of  Vishnu,  to  be  none  other  than  the 
Jain  saint,  Pur  Sawanath. 


THE  HINDOO   GODDESS   LAKSHIMI.  273 

the  one  sprouting  from  the  head  of  Indranee.     This  tem- 
ple is  unrivalled  for  its  beauty  of  form  and  sculpture. 

The  next  temple  we  visited  was  the  Dho  Mahal  Lenah, 
"  the  double  palace."  It  is  full  of  figures  and  sculptured 
story  celebrating  the  marriage  of  the  god  Siva  with  Par- 
vatee.  It  is  an  excavation  of  great  depth  and  extent,  filled 
with  countless  gods  and  goddesses,  among  which  the  figure 
of  Yarna,  the  judge  of  the  dead,  commonly  called  Dhan- 
nah,  is  especially  remarkable.  Not  far  from  this  cavern- 
temple  a  lovely  mountain-torrent  comes  leaping  down  in 
beautiful  cascades.  Near  a  wide  pool  is  a  rude  cave  with 
a  deity  in  it  called  Davee,  who  draws  multitudes  of  pil- 
grims to  her  shrine  yearly  because  of  her  reputation  for 
performing  miracles. 

There  is  also  a  temple  famous  in  Indian  song  and  story 
called  Khailahsah,  or  "  highest  heaven."  The  mountain 
has  been  penetrated  to  a  great  depth  and  height  to  make 
room  for  this  wondrous  bit  of  sculpture.  Within  an  area 
stands  a  pagoda  almost,  if  not  quite,  a  hundred  feet  high. 
It  is  entered  by  a  noble  portico  guarded  by  huge  stone 
figures  of  men ;  towering  above  it  are,  cut  out  of  the  hill, 
a  music-gallery  of  the  finest  workmanship  and  five  large 
chapels,  and  above  all  there  is  in  front  a  spacious  court 
terminating  in  three  magnificent  colonnades :  huge  col- 
umns uphold  the  music-gallery ;  stone  elephants,  looking 
toward  us,  heave  themselves  out  of  this  mass  of  rock- 
work,  and  right  in  front  is  a  grand  figure  of  the  Hindoo 
goddess  Lakshimi  being  crowned  queen  of  heaven  by  stone 
elephants,  that  have  raised  themselves  on  their  hind  feet 
to  pour  water  over  her  head  from  stone  vessels  grasped  in 
their  trunks. 

Everywhere  we  found  fresh  objects  of  wonder,  and  each 
new  cave  seemed  the  greatest  marvel  of  all.  The  entire 
hillside  is  perforated  with  chatiyas,  monasteries,  pagodas, 

18 


274  LIFE  AND  TEAVEL,  IN  INDIA. 

towers,  spires,  obelisks,  galleries,  and  verandahs,  all  cut 
out  of  the  solid  rock.*  Nothing  could  be  wilder  and 
more  fantastic  than  the  effect  produced  by  these  excava- 
tions, situated  as  they  are  amid  natural  scenes  very  wild 
and  romantic — waterfalls,  ravines,  gorges,  old  gnarled 
forest  trees,  and  a  dense  undergrowth  of  brushwood. 

Naturally,  freely,  unexpectedly,  as  the  tree  grows,  was 
the  development  of  early  Hindoo  art.  Everywhere  one 
sees  an  unrestrained  imagination  breaking  through  and 
overleaping  the  bounds  of  judgment,  reason,  and  even 
that  intuitive  sense  of  refinement  to  which  the  Hindoo 
mind  is  by  no  means  a  stranger. 

Our  journey  next  was  quite  an  adventurous  one.  We 
started  straight  across  the  high  plain  of  the  Deccan  for 
the  ThulljGjrhauts.  In  some  parts  the  country  is  sandy 
and  desolate,  and  in  others  well  cultivated,  but  in  no  way 
remarkable  till  we  reached  the  rugged  but  grandly  moun- 
tainous country  through  which  our  road  lay,  circuitous 
and  difficult,  but  wild  and  beautiful,  as  far  as  Nashik,  or 
"  the  City  of  the  Nose,"  sacred  to  the  Hindoos  for  various 
local  traditions,  but  above  all  as  being  the  spot  whence 
the  Godaveri  takes  its  rise.  The  real  source  of  this 
famous  river,  however,  is  some  eighteen  or  twenty  miles 
distant,  at  Thrimbak.  On  our  road  lay  a  deep  and  dan- 
gerous nullah  or  creek,  which  we  forded  with  much  diffi- 
culty, assisted  by  a  number  of  natives  whom  we  were 
obliged  to  hire  from  a  little  village  lying  half  a  mile  from 
its  banks.  Passing  this,  we  saw  the  Ghauts  for  the  first 
time,  with  their  fine  forests,  and  here  and  there  a  moun- 
tain-stream, not  yet  dried  up  by  the  hot  summer  sun,  tum- 
bling down  the  mountain-sides  or  flowing  over  pebbly  beds, 

*  Those  who  desire  to  have  a  detailed  account  of  these  caves  will  find 
an  admirable  description  of  them  given  by  Col.  Sykes  in  the  third  vol- 
ume of  the  Bombay  Asiatic  Society's  Transactions. 


THE  THULL   GHAUTS.  275 

sometimes  gleaming  into  the  sunlight  and  sometimes  hidden 
in  verdure,  and  anon  lying  in  deep  eddying  pools  at  the 
foot  of  the  Ghauts,  that  rise  up  grand  and  defiant  on 
every  side. 

"With  their  forests  of  foliage  and  rich  jungles  the  Tbull 
Ghauts  are  a  perpetual  wonder  and  mystery  to  the  natives, 
and  the  spot  on  which  the  handsome  city  of  Xashik  stand- 
is  a  paradise  to  the  Brahmans.  Through  it  the  Godaveri, 
sometimes  called  the  Gunga,  flow's,  spreading  gladness  and 
plenty  everywhere.  Here  it  was  that  Rama,  with  his  beau- 
tiful wife  Sita,  spent  the  first  days  of  their  exile  near  a  dark 
and  dreadful  forest,  out  of  which  issued  the  beautiful  deer 
in  pursuit  of  which  he  was  obliged  to  leave  Sita,  who  be- 
came an  easy  prey  to  his  enemy  Rawana.  Here  Laksh- 
man,  the  brother  of  Rama,  cut  off  the  nose  of  the  giantess 
Sarp  Naki,  the  snake-nosed  sister  of  Rawana,  from  which 
event  the  city  itself  is  named. 

There  is  doubtless  an  historical  basis  to  all  these  local 
traditions,  for  Nashik.  is  a  place  of  great  antiquity,  and  is 
mentioned  by  Ptolemy  by  the  name  which  it  bears  to-day. 
This  land  was  no  doubt  at  one  time  debatable  ground  be- 
tween the  advancing  Aryan  tribes  and  the  aboriginal  set- 
tlers. Here  the  Buddhists  took  refuge  from  the  persecu- 
tions of  the  orthodox  Brahmans,  excavating  the  temples 
and  caves  that  abound  in  this  region. 

Nashik  is  now  a  Brahman  city  in  the  fullest  sense  of 
the  word.  Brahrnanic  power,  influence,  culture,  and  tra- 
dition are  felt  everywhere.  Govind,  our  pundit,  was  in 
his  best  humor.  It  seems  he  had  long  desired  to  make  a 
pilgrimage  to  this  sacred  spot,  and  here  he  was  without 
any  actual  expense  to  himself  and  at  the  right  moment. 
Nashik  is  said  to  have  a  population  of  from  twenty-five 
to  thirty  thousand  inhabitants,  chiefly  Brahmans  of  great 
wealth  and  famed  for  their  religious  sanctity  of  character. 


276  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

At  the  jatras,  or  tribe-meetings,  a  great  concourse  of 
Brahmans,  Hindoos,  Rajpoots,  and  Mahrattas  from  all 
parts  of  India  pour  into  this  city,  and  our  visit  happened 
at  this  time,  for  the  pilgrims  were  arriving  from  all  parts 
of  the  Eastern  world.  Most  of  the  streets  are,  like  those 
usually  found  in  Oriental  cities,  narrow,  ill-drained,  and 
badly  paved,  but  there  are  some  that  are  well  kept,  and 
a  fine  broad  thoroughfare  leads  almost,  but  not  quite, 
through  the  centre  of  the  city  to  the  banks  of  the  Godav- 
eri.  The  lofty  houses  of  the  Brahmans,  many  of  which 
are  three  stories  high  and  almost  palatial  in  appearance, 
were  thrown  open  to  the  strangers.  Pilgrims  thronged 
the  streets  and  were  encamped  along  the  roadside  in  tents 
in  the  open  air  or  under  the  shade  of  huge  trees.  High- 
ways lead  everywhere  down  to  the  river,  whose  sanctity 
may  be  conceived  from  the  vast  numbers  and  character- 
istics of  the  temples  that  line  its  banks  and  dot  the  islands 
and  rocks  in  the  river-bed,  nearly  all  built  of  a  hard 
black  rock  capable  of  high  polish,  and  some  in  the  purest 
style  of  Hindoo  architecture. 

As  we  were  detained  here  a  couple  of  days,  being 
obliged  to  purchase  a  fresh  pair  of  trotting  bullocks  in 
order  to  prosecute  the  rest  of  our  journey,  we  determined 
to  stay  over  and  see  the  celebration  of  the  Ho\i,  one  of  the 
most  curious  festivals  among  the  Hindoos.  We  took  up 
our  abode  in  the  travellers'  bungalow,  some  little  distance 
from  the  native  city,  and  looking  out  upon  the  English 
burying-ground.  It  is  a  charming  spot,  with  a  wild  tangle 
of  trees  forming  a  sort  of  garden  around  it. 

The  native  town  of  Nashik  seems  to  be  divided  into 
three  parts,  the  handsome  and  well-built  portion  being  oc- 
cupied by  the  wealthy  Brahmans,  vakeels,  or  lawyers,  and 
gurus,  or  priests.  The  second  division,  which  bears  marks 
of  great  age  and  is  not  very  sightly,  is  inhabited  by  mer- 


ORIENTAL  SILK-WEAVERS.  277 

chants  and  traders  in  grain  and  other  articles  of  Indian 
commerce.  The  bazaars  are  remarkably  well  stocked  with 
shawls  brought  from  Cashmere,  silks  and  kinkaubs  from 
Aurungabad,  gowrakoo,  a  native  manufacture  of  tobacco 
and  used  for  smoking,  and  jaggery,  a  dark-brown  sugar 
from  Bombay.  In  the  jewellers'  shops  we  saw  some  very 
pretty  specimens  of  gold  and  silver  ornaments,  such  as  are 
worn  by  Hindoo  women.  The  vegetable  and  fruit  mar- 
kets here  are  very  fine.  Among  the  fruits  large  trays  of 
beautiful  flowers  were  disposed,  of  which  the  rose  of 
Nashik  seemed  to  me  the  finest  I  had  seen  in  India. 
Sheep,  goats,  and  cows  wander  about  the  streets  of  the 
bazaar  unmolested.  Indeed,  I  saw  cows  putting  their 
heads  into  the  open  grain-bags  exposed  on  the  shop-win- 
dows of  the  bunyas  or  grain-dealers,  and  have  a  good 
feed,  for  there  was  no  one  to  hinder  them. 

One  day,  as  we  were  wandering  about  the  streets  of 
Nashik,  we  strayed  into  an  open  court,  and  thence  through 
an  arched  entrance,  into  a  large  hall,  where  we  suddenly 
came  upon  a  company  of  men  weaving  a  peculiar  and 
beautiful  Oriental  silk.  The  loom  was  of  the  old-fash- 
ioned Indian  type,  set  into  the  ground ;  the  upper  thread 
was  of  a  pale-gold  color,  and  the  lower  of  the  most  ex- 
quisite blue,  and  the  fabric  after  it  was  woven  had  a  little 
knot  of  yellow  left  on  the  surface,  which  gave  it  the  ap- 
pearance in  one  light  of  being  woven  of  gold  threads,  and 
in  another  light  of  pale  blue.  A  number  of  women  were 
seated  close  by  preparing  the  silk  thread  for  the  weavers 
by  means  of  a  very  rude  spinning-wheel. 

From  the  bazaars  we  set  off  to  visit  some  of  the  most 
artistic  temples  that  embellish  the  banks  of  the  Godavcri. 
There  are  five  structures  here  to-day  in  great  repute :  the 
temples  of  Maha  Deo,  or  the  high  god,  Siva,  Parvati, 
Indra,  and  Jaggar  Nathy  commonly  called  Juggernaut. 


278  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

Each  of  these  temples  has  a  large  number  of  laymen, 
priests,  and  priestesses,  or  dancing-girls,  attached  to  them. 
The  dancing-girls  were  seen  everywhere  in  the  temples,  on 
the  banks  of  the  river,  and  in  the  booths  erected  here  and 
there,  performing  their  various  dances  for  the  amusement 
of  the  pilgrims,  and  some  of  these  girls  were  of  the  finest 
type  that  I  have  seen  in  any  part  of  India. 

We  went  into  the  temple  of  Maha  Deo,  which  contains 
some  very  rich  and  bold  carvings.  A  figure  of  a  god  was 
seated  on  a  stone  altar,  and  all  over  the  shrine  were  scat- 
tered flowers,  oil,  and  red  paint,  or  "  shaindoor."  At  the 
door  of  this  temple  we  saw  seated  a  very  old  woman,  who, 
they  told  me,  was  once  a  famous  beauty  and  a  priestess  of 
this  temple.  She  sat  there  muttering  idly  to  herself  and 
basking  in  the  sunlight.  Age  had  very  forcibly  set  its 
seal  upon  her.  Her  skin  was  drawn  into  the  most  com- 
plicated network  of  wrinkles,  her  arms  were  almost  de- 
void of  flesh,  and  her  limbs  were  as  feeble  and  tottering 
as  those  of  an  infant  just  attempting  to  walk;  but  her 
eyes,  large,  dark,  and  piercing,  still  retained  a  great  deal 
of  their  original  beauty.  The  people,  however,  regarded 
her  as  one  inspired,  and  the  women  attached  to  the  temple 
had  a  tender  care  for  her,  taking  her  into  an  adjoining 
chamber  every  night  to  sleep,  bringing  her  out  to  her  ac- 
customed place  eveiy  morning,  and  feeding  her  at  regular 
intervals. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Godaveri  is  shown  a  spot  where 
women  without  number  have  become  suttees,  or,  as  they 
called  them  here,  Sadhwees,  or  "  pure  ones."  At  a  very 
gentle  curve  of  the  river  are  the  cremation-grounds  of  the 
Hindoos,  and  here  the  ashes  of  men  burned  at  a  distance 
are  brought  and  scattered  in  the  holy  stream,  which  is 
thought  to  have  its  source  in  the  heart  of  the  great  Maha 
Deo  himself. 


HINDOO   FESTIVAL  OF  THE  HOLT.  279 

Next  morning,  when  we  issued  into  the  •  streets  of 
Nashik  once  more,  the  scene  that  presented  itself  to  our 
astonished  gaze  was  that  of  a  vast  multitude  gone  mad. 
Crowds  of  women  dressed  in  fantastic  attire,  especially  iu 
white-  and  yellow-spotted  muslin  sarees,  men  in  curious 
garbs,  boys  dressed  like  sprites  or  wholly  nude  and  be- 
smeared with  yellow  paint,  fakeers,  gossains,  ascetics, 
Hindoos,  and  Brahmans,  were  seen  in  the  streets  shouting, 
laughing,  throwing  red  paint  about ;  rude  jests  were  being 
passed ;  women  were  addressed  in  obscene  or  ribald  lan- 
guage; persons  blindfolded  in  the  streets  were  left  to 
grope  their  way  until  they  removed  the  bandage  from 
their  eyes,  friends  sent  on  bootless  errands,  etc.  In  fact, 
it  was  a  complete  saturnalia  of  the  rudest  and  most  gro- 
tesque description.  It  was  the  festival  of  the  Holi*  held 
in  honor  of  Krishna's  sportive  character  on  the  night  of 
the  full  moon  in  the  month  of  February. 

That  evening  we  went  out  on  the  banks  of  the  Godav- 
eri  to  see  the  termination  of  the  festival,  and  it  is  simply 
impossible  to  describe  the  wild  enthusiasm  of  this  vast 
concourse  of  people.  The  banks  of  the  river,  the  steps  of 
the  numberless  temples,  the  courts  within  courts,  the 
shrines,  the  altars,  the  great  halls  and  music-galleries  with 
forests  of  carved  pillars,  were  closely  packed  with  count- 
less throngs  of  white-robed  priests,  half-naked  gossains, 
or  sparkling  dancing-girls,  while  thousands  of  men,  wo- 
men, and  children  lined  the  banks  of  the  Godaveri,  eager 
and  enthusiastic  participants  in  the  gay,  bewildering  scene. 
As  we  stood  gazing  at  the  strange  spectacle  we  heard  the 
wild,  discordant  sounds  of  various  musical  instruments, 
the  shrill  blast  of  innumerable  conch-shells,  and  the  deaf- 
ening beat  of  the  tom-toms,  whereupon  huge  fires  began 

*  A  most  popular  Hindoo  festival  held  all  over  Hindostan  in  honor 
of  Krishna. 


280  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

to  blaze  almost  simultaneously  from  shore  to  shore  at 
regular  distances,  and  everywhere  round  them  groups  of 
strangely  dressed  boys  performed  weird  circular  dances, 
holding  each  other's  hands  and  going  around  them ;  then, 
suddenly  letting  loose,  they  darted  and  leaped  round  and 
round  one  another  and  round  the  fire  at  the  same  time. 
This  dance  is  ostensibly  performed  to  commemorate  the 
dance  of  the  god  Krishna  with  the  seven  gowpiahs,  or 
milkmaids,  but  there  is  scarcely  a  doubt  that  this  festival 
originally  meant  to  typify  the  revolution  of  the  planets 
round  the  sun. 

The  light  from  these  blazing  fires  streaming  out  upon 
the  moonlit  river,  the  wild  discordant  music,  the  hilarious 
shouts,  the  frantic  dancers,  the  sparkle  of  the  dancing- 
girls,  the  white-robed  figures  of  the  countless  multitude, 
now  flashing  in  sight  in  the  glare  of  the  firelight,  and 
anon  vanishing  in  the  deep  shadows  beyond,  the  piles  of 
black  temples,  the  great  trees  with  their  arms  bending 
down  to  the  river  or  stretching  toward  the  clear  sky, — all 
combined  to  render  the  last  night  of  the  festival  of  the 
Holi  at  Nashik  a  most  weird  and  singularly  fantastic  sight. 

From  the  first  to  the  last  day  of  our  visit  here  there 
was  nowhere  perceptible  the  least  trace  of  European  influ- 
ence on  the  people  or  in  the  city.  The  people  and  the 
city  were  just  what  they  might  have  been  in  the  days  when 
Ptolemy  wrote  about  the  latter,  purely  and  wholly  Hindoo, 
and  full  of  a  Brahmanic  atmosphere  of  religious  mysticism 
— a  civilization  quite  different  from  anything  we  had  ever 
witnessed. 

There  are  a  number  of 'curious  excavations  in  this  neigh- 
borhood, about  five  miles  from  the  town,  in  the  side  of  a 
hill  that  overhangs  the  highway  from  Bombay.  The  hill 
as  well  as  these  cavern-temples  is  called  Pandulgnd.  We 
rode  out  on  fine  horses  hired  from  a  native  stable  close  to 


THE  JUDGE  OF  THE  DEAD.  281 

the  bazaar.  The  ride  out  was  delightful,  the  views  of  the 
country  at  once  grand  and  beautiful,  but  the  excavations 
were  much  less  interesting  than  had  been  reported  to  us 
by  Govind,  and  in  no  way  comparable  to  the  wondrous 
structures  of  Ellora.  There  is  one  cave  here,  however, 
that  has  a  superior  finish.  The  roof  is  finely  arched ;  the 
dogaba,  or  memorial  structure,  stands  at  the  end  and  is 
well  executed.  Another  cave  with  idols  of  seated  figures 
has  a  flat  roof,  and  is  not  very  interesting,  save  that  near 
it  is  carved  in  a  niche  a  huge  figure  of  Buddha.  The 
chief  idol  here  is  called  Rajah  Dhanna — i.  e.  "judge  of 
the  dead  " — and  is  held  most  sacred  by  the  pilgrims,  who 
were  now  beginning  to  arrive  here  in  strong  numbers. 
The  odors  of  the  stuff  with  which  the  filthy  gossains  rub 
themselves  and  their  altogether  disgusting  appearance  sent 
us  hastily  back  to  our  quiet  lodge,  and  early  next  morn- 
ing we  bade  adieu  for  ever  to  Nashik. 

From  Nashik  to  Trimbak,  eighteen  or  twenty  miles,  the 
country  is  one  of  unrivalled  beauty.  Trimbak  is  a  very 
sacred  spot,  where  the  Godaveri  really  takes  its  rise,  and 
is  wholly  given  up  to  the  Hindoo  and  Brahman  pilgrims, 
who  were  pouring  into  the  place  from  all  the  country 
round.  It  is  filled  by  a  class  of  priests  whose  sole  duty  it 
is  to  instruct  pilgrims  in  the  right  way  to  worship  and  to 
receive  the  gifts  bestowed  on  the  temples.  The  houses  of 
these  priests  adjoin  the  temples ;  they  lodge  the  pilgrims 
without  any  charge,  but  each  person  generally  leaves  at 
the  temple  a  gift  which  exceeds  the  cost  of  his  stay.  We 
had  no  time  to  examine  the  temples  here,  for  we  spent 
only  a  night  at  Trimbak,  and  started  next  morning,  trav- 
ersing circuitous  roads,  crossing  some  small  nullahs,  and 
by  dint  of  travelling  all  day  and  night  reached  the  next 
important  halting-place,  which  was  no  other  than  Damaun, 
a  famous  old  Portuguese  town. 


282  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

The  tow"  of  T)a.tngri.n,,  with  its  ramparts,  gateways,  and 
bastions,  is  picturesquely  situated.  There  is  on  one  side 
of  it  a  fine  old  fortress  baptized  after  a  Christian  saint 
and  called  the  "Castle  of  St.  Hieronymus,"  and  on  the 
other  a  deep,  navigable  river  which  still  bears  the  favorite 
Hindoo  name  of  Gunga.  The  country  all  round  Damaun 
is  well  cultivated.  The  tara  palm,  the  castor  oil,  the 
babool,  or  Acacia  arabica,*  were  seen  in  the  gardens 
and  plantations.  But  the  interior  of  the  Portuguese  town 
struck  me  as  gloomy  and  exceedingly  filthy,  and,  though 
it  was  full  of  people — Mohammedans,  Hindoos,  and  Chris- 
tians, with  even  Jews  and  Parsees — it  lacked  that  air  of 
sprightliness  and  vivacity  so  noticeable  in  a  purely  Hin- 
doo population.  It  was  neither  one  thing  nor  the  other — 
not  wholly  pagan,  and  only  partially  Christian.  The  Ro- 
man Catholic  chapel  here  was  once  a  grand  mosque. 

Through  the  kind  introduction  of  a  Portuguese  friend 
we  were  most  cordially  received  in  the  home  of  a  vener- 
able native  Portuguese  named  Johnna  Castello.  The 
household  consisted  of  himself  and  the  families  of  two 
married  sons ;  one  of  the  ladies  was  indisposed,  but  the 
other,  Donna  Caterina,  did  the  honors  of  hostess  in  a  sim- 
ple and  unpretending  manner.  Our  pundit  had  an  out- 
house placed  at  his  disposal.  The  establishment  did  not 
boast  of  many  rooms,  and  those  in  which  we  were  lodged 
were  rough  and  poorly  built  of  wood.  Our  meals  con- 
sisted of  rice  and  curry,  fish,  kabobsrf  kid  and  fowl  pillau, 
with  a  variety  of  fine  fruits  and  vegetables.  Our  meals 
were  served  apart  and  in  European  style,  but  the  quantity 

*  A  genus  of  leguminous  trees  and  shrubs,  usually  with  thorns  and 
pinnate  leaves,  and  of  an  airy  and  elegant  appearance.  It  is  found  in 
all  the  tropical  parts  of  both  the  Old  World  and  the  New,  and  also  in 
Australia  and  Polynesia.  A  few  species  only  are  found  in  temperate 
climates. 

f  Small  pieces  of  meat  seasoned  and  roasted  on  a  skewer. 


A  PORTUGUESE   WEDDING-PROCESSION.  283 

of  onion  and  garlic  with  which  almost  every  dish  was 
seasoned  helped  much  toward  shortening  our  stay  here. 
Besides  which,  it  seemed  to  me  that  everything  was 
pickled,  from  the  pork  (of  which  the  native  Portuguese 
are  very  fond)  to  the  young  bamboo-shoots.  At  every 
fresh  course  some  half  a  dozen  hot,  biting  pickles  were 
handed  around. 

My  womanly  curiosity  led  me  into  the  kitchen  of  this 
very  well-to-do  Portuguese  family.  It  was  in  keeping 
with  the  rest  of  the  place.  It  was  a  low  wooden  struc- 
ture, black  with  smoke  and  age ;  a  long  range  of  open  fire- 
places, made  of  brick  and  mortar,  ran  along  on  one  side ; 
on  these  earthen  chatties,  or  earthen  pots,  were  boiling 
away,  some  covered  and  others  uncovered;  but  hanging 
from  the  roof  above  these  pots  were  long  lines  of  black- 
ened cobwebs  that  looked  as  if  they  had  remained  undis- 
turbed for  a  hundred  years.  The  servants  were  all  men, 
native  Christians,  and  were  overlooking  the  cooking  or 
attending  to  various  culinary  duties.  They  were  filthy 
beyond  measure,  and  so  was  every  nook  and  corner  of  the 
kitchen.  The  native  Portuguese  in  this  old-fashioned  city 
of  Damaun  struck  me  as  peculiarly  uninteresting  in  their 
manners  and  appearance.  We  saw  them  in  the  streets, 
seated  on  the  verandahs  or  doorsteps  of  their  houses,  chat- 
tering or  laughing  or  quarrelling  with  their  neighbors  in 
shrill,  harsh  tones  and  with  ungraceful  gestures.  In  some 
aspects  Oriental  Christianity  seems  even  more  degrading 
than  the  worst  form  of  paganism. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  as  we  were  walking 
about  the  town,  we  passed  a  wedding-procession  .on  its 
way  to  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  which  served  in  some 
slight  degree  to  soften  the  unfavorable  impression  produced 
by  the  people  and  the  town.  It  was  a  gaudy  sight.  Sheets 
were  spread  along  the  street  leading  to  the  steps  of  the 


284  LIFE   AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

chapel;  flowers,  chiefly  the  oleander,  the  rose,  and  the 
mohgre*  were  scattered  all  over  these  sheets  by  dark- 
skinned  Portuguese  girls  dressed  in  long  white  trousers 
and  old-fashioned  pink  frocks.  Presently  the  church- 
bells  began  to  tinkle  merrily,  and  a  company  of  dark- 
hued  damsels  issued  in  full  sight,  dressed  in  tinsel  and 
gold,  with  long  white  muslin  veils,  almost  like  the  Hin- 
doo sarees,  bound  round  their  persons.  The  bride  was 
closely  veiled  from  head  to  foot  in  something  that  looked 
like  the  purdah^  worn  by  Mohammedan  women.  We 
could  not  see  her,  but  I  pleased  myself  with  imagining 
that  she  was  young  and  beautiful.  Close  to  her  were  two 
young  women  bearing  lighted  torches,  and  in  the  foremost 
rank  were  two  Portuguese  priests,  who  led  the  way  to  the 
chapel  (once  a  mosque),  each  bearing  a  silver-mounted 
crucifix.  The  bridegroom  brought  up  the  rear  dressed  as 
an  English  general,  with  a  dark-blue  embroidered  frock- 
coat,  golden  epaulettes,  scarlet  pantaloons,  sword,  and  a 
cocked  hat  with  feathers,  accompanied  by  at  least  twelve 
other  native  gentlemen  similarly  attired;  but  many  of 
these  grand-looking  officers  were  barefooted.  This  gro- 
tesque procession  rushed  into  the  chapel  in  unseemly 
haste,  and  we  followed.  There  was  nothing  very  re- 
markable in  the  exterior  of  this  chapel.  But  within,  the 
principal  altar  was  very  richly  adorned  with  gilt  images 
of  Christ,  the  Virgin,  and  saints,  with  handsome  candle- 
sticks and  a  great  deal  of  gold  and  tinsel.  There  seemed 
to  be  but  few  seats.  Before  the  marriage  ceremony  began 
the  bride  dropped  her  purdah,  or  veil,  and,  to  my  sur- 
prise, I  found  that  she  was  both  ugly  and  old,  and  about 
to  be  married  to  the  young  fellow  in  the  general's  cos- 

*  A  white  flower  very  much  like  a  double  jessamine,  with  much  the 
Bame  fragrance, 
t  A  veil  that  covers  the  whole  person. 


ON   BOAED  A   PATEMAE.  285 

tume,  who  certainly  looked  young  enough  to  be  her  son. 
She  was  a  rich  old  widow,  which  explained  the  matter. 
We  did  not  wait  to  see  the  ceremony,  as  our  stay  here  was 
limited  to  two  days,  and  this  was  our  last  one  in  Damaun. 
After  nightfall,  as  I  looked  out  upon  this  strange,  semi- 
Christian,  semi-pagan  city,  old  and  weather-stained,  poorly 
lighted,  and  upon  that  river  named  after  a  Hindoo  goddess 
flowing  by  so  sluggishly,  but  which,  after  the  rainy  season, 
often  becomes  a  cruel  foe  to  the  peasant  and  cultivator,  I 
felt  somehow  that  it  was  one  of  the  most  dismal  places  in 
the  world,  in  spite  of  its  peculiar  advantages  of  a  rich  soil 
and  sea- views.  Next  morning,  through  the  kind  offices 
of  our  host,  who  assisted  us  in  procuring  a  comfortable 
berth  on  board  a  native  craft  called  a  patemar,*  we  found 
ourselves  sailing  before  a  fine  breeze,  bound  straight  for 
Surat,  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  well-known  seaports 
of  Western  India. 

*  A  patemar  is  a  coasting  vessel,  built  generally  in  Bombay.  It  has 
prow  and  stern  alike,  double  planked — a  handsome  craft  of  about  two 
hundred  tons  burden,  with  two  masts  and  great  wide  lateen  sails. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

The  Taptee  Biver. — Surat  and  its  Environs. — The  Borahs  and  Kho- 
lees  of  Guzerat.* — Baroda,  the  Capital  of  the  Guicowars. — Fakeers, 
or  Relic-Carriers,  of  Baroda. — Cambay. — Mount  Aboo. — Jain  Tem- 
ples on  Mount  Aboo,  etc. 

THE  views  along  the  Western  Ghauts  and  the  coast  are 
very  grand.  We  soon  lost  sight  of  all  their  varied  beauty, 
and  in  a  couple  of  days  entered  the  splendid  river  Taptee, 
which  flows  broad  and  deep  immediately  under  the  walls 
of  the  city  of  Surat. 

Almost  at  the  mouth  of  the  Taptee  stands  a  lovely  little 
island ;  opposite  to  this  is  a  little  town  called  Domus,  a 
quaint,  homelike-looking  place,  where  Europeans  spend 
the  hot  months.  The  river  flows  for  miles  through  a 
richly-cultivated  suburb  of  gardens,  plantations,  and  beau- 
tiful houses,  till  it  reaches  the  city,  which  is  walled  with 
bastions  at  certain  points,  but  the  walls  and  towers  are 
fast  crumbling  away.  At  one  extremity  stands  the  famous 
old  castle  of  Surat,  about  three  hundred  years  old,  looking 
older  and  more  stained  with  time  and  age  than  even  the 
fortress  of  Damaun. 

Surat  has  a  double  wall  and  twice  twelve  gates,  inner 
and  outer,  communicating  with  one  another.  But  its  his- 
tory is  even  more  varied  and  complicated  than  its  "  world- 
protecting  "  walls  and  wooden-leaved  gates.  It  is  written 
in  the  ruins  found  everywhere  in  the  gardens,  palaces  of 
the  nawabs,  rajahs,  and  peishwas,  as  well  as  in  the  fac- 
tories of  the  Dutch,  French,  Portuguese,  and  English, 

286 


SURAT  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS.  287 

most  of  which  are  now  transformed  into  hospitals,  lunatic 
asylums,  hotels  for  European  travellers,  or  pleasure- 
houses  and  grounds  for  wealthy  natives. 

Here  are  also  grand  English  and  Dutch  cemeteries, 
where  many  noted  English  and  Dutch  lie  magnificently 
entombed  in  stately  mausoleums,  in  order  to  impress  the 
Oriental  mind,  which  is  always  disposed  to  attach  a  cer- 
tain kind  of  sanctity  to  piles  of  brick,  mortar,  and  stone, 
whether  priest,  prophet,  or  knave  lie  interred  beneath. 

We  tried  to  visit  the  "  Pinjrapoore,"  or  hospital  for  sick 
animals,  here  ;  it  seems  to  be  arranged  much  on  the  same 
plan  as  that  in  Bombay,  but  this  place  was  too  filthy  to 
enter,  and  in  that  respect  much  inferior.  Attached  to  it 
are  large  granaries,  where  all  the  damaged  grain  of  the 
bazaars  is  piled  up  for  the  use  of  the  sick  animals  in  the 
hospital;  and  this  it  is  which  has  rendered  this  place  a 
perfect  pest-house  of  insects  and  vermin  of  all  kinds. 

Fire-temples  and  towers  of  silence  are  numerous  here, 
as  Surat  has  a  large  Parsee  community,  who  have  been 
established  in  this  region  ever  since  the  eighth  century. 
The  most  curious  and  interesting  people  in  this  part  of 
the  world  are  the  Borahs,  the  Jains,  and  Buniahs. 

The  Borahs  are  divided  into  two  classes,  the  traders  and 
the  cultivators.  They  are  Hindoos  converted  to  Moham- 
medanism ;  they  form  the  most  active  and  industrious  cul- 
tivators of  the  soil,  as  well  as  cotton-  and  cloth-merchants. 
Their  dress,  manners,  and  Language  are  the  same  as  those 
of  the  Hindoos.  Cotton  is  the  chief  staple.  The  Borahs 
occupy  an  entire  street  in  Surat,  and  it  is  especially  dis- 
tinguished as  being  the  cleanest  in  the  native  town.  Their 
houses  are  spacious  and  well  built,  with  fine  open  bal- 
conies. Their  women  are  well  treated.  They  support 
here  a  number  of  Mohammedan  priests,  a  bishop— have  a 
fine  mosque  wherein  to  worship,  and  one  of  the  best  col- 


288  LIFE  AND  TRAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

leges  in  this  part  of  the  country,  where  the  Borah  youths 
receive  a  thorough  commercial  education. 

The  jfoniahs  are  almost  identical  with  the  Borahs  in 
their  trading  and  commercial  qualifications.  They  are  the 
great  grain-merchants  here  and  everywhere.  They  are 
also  divided  into  three  classes — the  cultivators,  the  whole- 
sale merchant,  and  the  petty  retailer,  who  travels  from 
village  to  village  with  his  grain-bags  on  his  shoulders. 
The  Buniahs,  however,  are  Hindoos  in  religion  as  well  as 
by  birth. 

The  Jains,  of  whom  mention  has  already  been  made, 
are  seen  in  great  numbers  in  the  streets  and  bazaars. 
Their  dress  is  a  long  white  robe  descending  in  full  folds 
from  the  shoulders  to  the  feet,  and  over  the  shoulders  is 
thrown  another  long  loose  piece  of  white  cloth ;  the  head 
and  beard  are  closely  shaven.  But  the  most  striking  pe- 
culiarity is  a  bit  of  white  cloth  of  fine  texture  which  they 
wear  over  the  mouth  to  prevent  them  from  destroying,' 
by  inhaling  into  their  lungs,  the  minutest  insect  life. 
They  are  always  found  with  a  little  broom  in  their  hands, 
no  matter  where  they  go,  so  as  to  sweep  the  ground  before 
seating  themselves,  with  the  same  end  in  view — the  pres- 
ervation of  all  insect  life;  for  this  purpose  they  walk 
very  slowly  with  their  eyes  cast  on  the  ground.  To  de- 
stroy life,  even  unintentionally,  is  the  inexpiable  sin,  and 
a  Jain  will  not  drink  any  water  until  he  has  strained  it, 
nor  will  he  take  any  meal  or  drink  of  any  kind  after  sun- 
set, lest  he  should  happen  to  devour  some  living  thing. 
The  Jains  have  some  fine  temples  in  this  city. 

Surat  was  long  in  the  possession  of  the  Mohgul  em- 
perors. In  1842  the  last  nawab  died,  and  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  East  India  Company.  It  is  still  a  great 
trading  city ;  the  surtee  rassum,  or  manufactured  silk  of 
Surat,  is  very  beautiful;  the  gold  and  silver  ornaments 


VISIT  TO   THE  SEAT  OF  OPPRESSION.  289 

sold  in  the  bazaars  are  unique  and  of  fine  workmanship. 
Surat  is  also  famous  for  the  weaving  of  many  varieties  of 
cotton  cloths ;  these  are  usually  woven  in  small  chequered 
patterns  with  bright  and  elegant  borders.  Potteries  are 
not  only  numerous,  but  some  pottery  of  very  fine  form 
and  quality  is  sold  in  the  bazaars  and  is  said  to  be  of 
home  manufacture. 

The  last  day  we  spent  in  Surat  was  passed  in  driving 
through  the  suburbs  in  a  native  wagon  drawn  by  a  fine 
pair  of  humpbacked  white  bullocks  (zebus),  who  carried 
us  rapidly  over  the  ground.  We  alighted  at  the  palace  of 
the  last  nawab,  called  at  once  the  "  gift  of  God  "  and  the 
"  seat  of  oppression."  Of  its  being  the  former  there  is  no 
trace,  but  the  shadow  of  the  latter  name  seems  still  to  fall 
upon  the  partially  deserted  place.  Apart  from  the  col- 
lection of  Persian  and  Arabic  manuscripts  to  be  seen  in  a 
room  adjoining  the  palace  of  the  nawab,  there  is  nothing 
to  interest  the  curious  visitor.  With  the  removal  of  the 
Moslem  flag  that  once  waved  so  proudly  over  the  citadel 
of  Surat  the  glory  of  the  Mohgul  conquerors  departed. 

The  Mohgul  quarter  of  the  city  is  gradually  falling  into 
decay ;  ruin  and  desolation  mark  the  spot  where  many  a 
noble  pile  of  Moslem  dwellings  once  stood.  The  very 
name  of  the  Mohguls  is  almost  a  thing  of  the  past,  save 
that  in  household  song  and  story  their  deeds  will  ever  cast 
behind  them  a  dark  and  terrible  shadow. 

We  left  Surat,  or  rather  Soo  Rashtra,  "the  pleasant 
country,"  seated  in  a  dhuinee,  a  native  wagon  on  two 
wheels  with  a  cloth  canopy  overhead,  and  drawn  l>y  a 
pair  of  large,  handsome  humped  oxen,  with  a  Bheel 
guide,  the  pundit,  and  two  servants.  We  had  traversed  a 
large  extent  of  country,  halted  under  trees  by  the  road>i<Io 
and  at  mean  little  dhtirruin-salas,  without  fear  or  molest- 
ation of  any  kind,  with  but  few  detentions,  and  only  one 

19 


290  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

accident  to  our  wagon,  which  was  repaired  almost  at  once 
by  applying  to  the  headman  of  a  village  near  by,  who  not 
only  sent  us  a  blacksmith,  but  came  out  to  see  the  work 
done  himself.  The  plan  adopted  in  our  travels  through 
the  Deccan  we  carried  out  in  our  entire  journeyings 
through  Guzerat  and  back — i.  e.  to  send  the  pundit  to 
the  governor  of  the  town  or  to  the  headman  of  the  vil- 
lage to  ask  escort  and  guide  for  the  place  itself  as  well  as 
to  the  next  station ;  and  in  no  instance  were  these  unfaith- 
ful to  the  trust  reposed  in  them.  When  they  quitted  us 
at  the  appointed  station  we  generally  made  them  a  small 
present,  which  brought  down  upon  us  showers  of  bless- 
ings and  unqualified  praise.  I  did  not  doubt,  however, 
that  our  good-fortune  in  this  respect  was  owing  to  the  dig- 
nified bearing  and  sanctified  presence  of  our  Brahman  pun- 
dit. For  the  first  few  miles  from  Surat  to  Rata^goore,  "  the 
Jewel  City,"  the  road  was  deep  and  heavy,  and  our  wagon 
dragged  slowly  along,  but  it  was  not  long  before  we  came 
out  on  a  magnificent  park-like  country,  which  is  the  cha- 
racteristic of  almost  the  whole  vast  province  lying  west  of 
the  Deccan.  It  was  delightful  to  hear  our  Bheel  guide 
singing  in  his  deep  sonorous  voice  as  he  trotted  on  by  our 
side,  in  which  music  he  was  joined  occasionally  by  our 
driver.  One  of  his  songs  was  intended  to  gratify  Euro- 
pean hearts  and  ears  (with  the  "inam,"  or  present,  in 
prospect,  I  suppose),  the  chorus  of  which  was  as  follows : 

"  Bur,  bur,  nashanee  oorta  hai, 

Ingraje  Bhadhar  ki, 
Mar  lia  rah  Tipoo  Sultan, 
Wo  kaya  lurta,  haram  ki." 

("  Behold  proud  England's  flag  unfurl 

And  wave  on  every  height. 
Beaten  low  lies  Tippoo  Sultan  ; 
With  England  who  dare  fight?") 


THE   JEWEL   CITY.  291 

This  chorus  was  kept  up  with  great  animation  until  we 
reached  the  Jewel  City,  which  is  named  after  the  exten- 
sive carnelian-mines  in  its  neighborhood.  Our  measure 
of  sleep  at  the  miserable  halting-place  was  stinted,  for  we 
started  at  dawn  to  visit  the  mines,  situated  some  distance 
from  the  village  along  the  slope  of  a  picturesque  hill. 
The  road  was  literally  covered  with  discarded  pieces  of 
carnelian.  The  mines  were  neither  high  nor  deep.  The 
entire  face  of  the  hill  is  perforated  with  galleries  or  pits 
that  run  in  every  direction.  The  gems  are  found  im- 
bedded in  a  slimy  black  clay  holding  numerous  organic 
remains.  In  some  parts  the  pits  are  carried  down  thirty 
feet  before  the  peculiar  deposit  in  which  the  carnelian 
abounds  is  reached.  It  is  also  found  in  many  other  places 
here  still  unknown  to  Europeans,  as  the  natives  keep  the 
secret,  as  far  as  it  is  possible,  to  themselves  and  even  from 
one  another.  It  was  interesting  to  see  the  men  working 
at  the  mines.  They  were  very  poorly  clad,  with  only  a 
langoutee,  or  waist-cloth,  round  them,  and  each  division 
was  superintended  by  a  number  of  better-dressed  men 
called  sirdhars,  or  "head  lords."  The  stones  are  col- 
lected in  great  quantities,  then  tried  by  means  of  another 
sharp  stone  prepared  for  the  purpose.  If  they  chip  easily 
they  are  discarded,  but  if  they  have  a  firm,  compact  tex- 
ture and  a  deep-black  color,  they  are  selected,  cleaned,  and 
exposed  on  strips  of  rough  straw  mattings  to  the  sun's  rays 
for  the  space  of  a  year  or  more,  since  the  longer  they  are 
thus  exposed  the  brighter  the  color  and  polish  after  bak- 
ing. The  process  of  baking  these  stones  is  both  curious 
and  original.  The  rough  stones  are  piled  in  small  heaps 
on  the  ground,  which  is  slightly  hollowed  out  to  receive 
them.  Small  earthen  pots  with  holes  in  them  are  placed 
over  each  pile ;  then  a  quantity  of  goat-  or  sheep-ordure 
is  heaped  up  on  each  pot ;  it  is  then  kindled  and  allowed 


292  LIFE  AND   TKAVEL,  IN   INDIA. 

to  smoulder  all  night.  On  the  following  morning  the 
stones  are  carefully  examined,  and  if  they  have  acquired 
the  deep  bright  tint  peculiar  to  the  carnelian  known  to 
commerce,  they  are  ready  for  the  jeweller's  polish ;  if  not, 
they  are  once  more  subjected  to  the  fire.  The  shops  in 
Baroda,  Cambay,  and  Ahmedab&d  have  great  varieties 
of  these  stones  for  sale ;  for  they  are  not  only  carved  into 
rings,  beads,  bangles,  boxes,  vases,  bowls,  and  mouth- 
pieces for  pipes,  but  idols  for  the  Jain,  Hindoo,  and 
Buddhist  temples  are  also  fashioned  out  of  them. 

Our  journey  from  Ratanpoore  to  Baroda  was  through  a 
very  beautiful  country,  and,  though  it  is  said  to  be  infested 
with  Kholee  and  Bheel  robbers,  we  passed  through  it  with- 
out the  least  molestation.  At  one  point  of  the  road  not  far 
from  Baroda  we  espied  a  thick  wood  above  which  towered 
the  slender  spires  of  some  Hindoo  temples.  The  moment 
these  were  seen  our  pundit,  driver,  and  Bheel  escort  craved 
permission  to  retire  for  puja,  or  worship,  for  a  few  moments. 
The  oxen  were  fastened  to  the  branch  of  a  tree  by  the  road- 
side, and  we  alighted  and  walked  about  until  our  pious 
attendants  had  finished  their  devotions  to  the  goddess 
Bhawanee,  enshrined  even  here  as  the  favorite  of  the 
reigning  Mahratta  kings. 

Baroda?  or  Varodah,  "the  good  water  country,"  is  now 
the  capital  of  the  Guicowars,  which  name  means,  literally, 
"  owner  of  heads  of  cattle."  It  is  the  quaintest,  the  most 
densely  populated,  and  independent  city  in  this  province. 

The  first  Guicowar,  a  peasant  by  the  name  of  Pullahji, 
was  employed  as  a  domestic  in  the  service  of  the  Peishwa 
Baji  Roa.  He  soon  raised  himself  by  means  of  his  ex- 
traordinary military  talents  to  the  rank  of  a  commanding 
officer  of  the  Peishwa's  troops.  Shortly  after,  having  won 
over  the  army,  he  declared  his  independence  and  estab- 
lished himself  on  the  throne  of  the  Peishwas  in  Guzerat. 


THE  SUBURBS  OF  BARODA.  293 

Having  sprung  from  the  hardy  Khumbis,  or  cultivators 
of  the  soil,  he  was  justly  proud  of  his  race,  and  assumed 
the  ancient  title  of  Guicowar.  Whenever  opportunity 
offered,  Pullahji,  bent  on  conquest,  invaded  the  Peishwa's 
territories,  carrying  pillage  and  disorder  through  the 
richest  provinces  of  Nagpoor  Rajpootana.  His  succes- 
sors, however,  have  been  obliged  to  employ  the  aid  of  the 
British  troops  to  hold  their  own  in  these  provinces,  which 
are  at  best  but  partly  subjugated. 

We  crossed  an  old  Hindoo  bridge  of  curious  structure 
consisting  of  arches  placed  one  over  the"  other,  and  span- 
ning an  impetuous  but  extraordinarily  beautiful  river  still 
bearing  the  polished  Sanskrit  name  of  Vishwamitray  or 
"  the  friendly  preserver."  It  flows  strong~and  swift  for 
many  miles  through  a  deep  rocky  channel.  Its  banks  are 
singularly  striking  in  some  parts,  rising  on  either  side 
from  fifty  to  sixty  feet.  Its  waters,  instead  of  appearing 
friendly,  seemed  dark  and  turbulent,  not  unlike  the  bar- 
baric city  which  stretched  along  its  banks.  Temples, 
mosques,  tombs,  mausoleums,  and  dark,  sombre-looking 
fortresses  are  seen  everywhere ;  great  flights  of  stone  steps 
lead  to  the  fast-flowing  river,  and  all  day  long  these  are 
crowded  with  men  and  women  washing,  bathing,  or  filling 
their  water-jars.  The  suburbs  of  Baroda  extend  for  miles, 
and  in  the  most  densely  crowded  part  of  the  capital  the 
streets  are  narrow  and  crooked,  the  houses  mostly  of  wood, 
but  built  with  a  view  of  architectural  effect.  Some  are 
almost  like  pretty  Swiss  chalets,  and  others  not  unlike 
Italian  villas.  At  the  cross-roads  and  in  various  parts  of 
the  streets  and  lanes  are  seen  queer  little  temples  with  the 
oddest  of  gods  and  goddesses  enshrined  in  them — deities 
of  the  woods,  fountains,  streams,  and  even  of  the  streets — 
and  over  these  fluttered  the  gay-colored  flags  of  the 
Guicowar.  As  for  the  inhabitants  of  Baroda,  as  seen  in  the 


294  LIFE  AND  TKAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

streets,  verandahs,  and  shops,  they  are  quite  characteristic. 
Specimens  of  every  Eastern  nationality  may  be  seen  here, 
and,  what  is  more,  in  the  martial  atmosphere  of  the  place 
they  seemed  more  like  freebooters,  murderers,  and  warriors 
than  like  the  simple  citizens  of  a  great  agricultural  district 
such  as  Guzerat  presents  outside  of  her  cities  and  towns. 

The  city  proper,  or  rather  the  citadel,  is  walled.  It  is 
entered  by  huge  gateways  guarded  by  soldiers,  and  made 
even  more  imposing  by  the  lofty  round  towers  that  crown 
it  on  either  side.  It  is  divided  into  four  portions,  three 
of  which  are  occupied  by  the  nobility  of  the  court  of  Gu- 
zerat, and  the  other  by  the  palaces  and  buildings  of  the 
Guicowar  himself.  The  antechamber  of  the  palace  is  a 
huge  stone  structure  supporting  a  many-storied  wooden 
balcony,  from  the  centre  of  which  rises  a  lofty  pyramidal 
clock-tower  painted  in  various  colors  and  looking  fantastic 
beyond  description.  Here  we  saw  the  Guicowar  going  to 
worship  at  some  temple ;  he  was  preceded  by  a  number  of 
led  horses  and  elephants  splendidly  caparisoned;  then 
came  his  standard  borne  on  a  great  elephant,  followed  by 
the  Guicowar  himself.  After  him  came  men  on  foot  in 
scarlet  dresses,  and  more  elephants.  The  elephants  here 
are  trained  for  riding,  hunting,  war,  and  even  as  execu- 
tioners and  combatants. 

The  English  station  is  very  picturesquely  situated,  and 
is  purely  European  in  appearance.  The  contrast  is  all  the 
more  striking  after  seeing  the  citadel  of  the  Guicowar.  It 
is  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river  Vishwamitra,  and  not  far 
from  the  great  highway  are  the  British  residency  and  travel- 
lers' bungalow,  where  we  were  most  comfortably  lodged. 

One  of  the  most  ancient  and  curious  temples  to  be  seen 
here  is  situated  at  the  west  end  of  the  suburbs  of  Baroda. 
It  is  called  Ghai  Da  wale,  "  the  cow  temple."  The  front 
is  imposing.  A  portico  with  granite  pillars  admits  you 


THE   OOW  TEMPLE.  295 

into  a  series  of  vaulted  chambers,  and  there  are  number- 
less idols  of  gods  and  goddesses  enshrined  in  niches, 
with  offerings  of  flowers  before  them  and  red  paint 
sprinkled  over  their  persons.  A  great  many  corridors 
lead  to  other  chambers,  cells,  vaults,  and  mysterious  re- 
treats that  have  sprung  up  round  it  owing  to  the  vast 
number  of  priestesses  called  Pathars  attached  to  it. 
Another  feature  of  Baroda  are  the  magnificent  bowries, 
or  wells,  that  are  found  here ;  some  are  in  themselves 
most  exquisite  pieces  of  architecture,  and  may  be  called 
temples  built  over  reservoirs.  The  entrance  to  these  well- 
temples  are  by  five  or  more  pavilions;  thence  a  flight 
of  stone  steps  leads  to  a  second  dome,  which  is  arched, 
and  under  the  outer  dome,  which  is  in  its  turn  supported 
by  lofty  pillars  and  is  pyramidal,  then  more  steps  and 
more  pillars,  until  the  level  of  the  water  is  reached,  which 
is  again  covered  by  a  last  and  beautiful  dome  supported 
by  innumerable  short  pillars.  The  largest  of  these  wells 
in  Baroda  is  called  Nou  Laki,  or  "  Nine  Laks,"  from  its 
having  cost  that  amount  in  building.  It  was  erected  by 
Suleiman,  the  governor  of  Baroda  in  A.  H.  (Mohammedan) 
807.  The  water  is  very  delicious,  and  here  people  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  assemble  to  drink — mendicant 
Brah mans,  gossains  for  alms,  and  fakeer  carriers  of  relics 
to  trade.  The  latter  is  not  a  mendicant,  but  a  religious 
trader,  whose  chief  claim  to  sanctity  consists  in  the  marks 
he  wears  on  his  brow  and  nose.  These  men  go  from  place 
to  place  carrying  their  curious  relics  in  curtained  baskets 
slung  across  their  shoulders;  their  shirts  and  cumberbunds 
are  filled  with  balls,  beads,  and  pins  made  from  the  wood 
of  the  toolie  *  and  other  sacred  trees.  They  have  beads  of 
sandal  and  other  woods  strung  into  necklaces,  bracelets, 

*  A  native  name  for  a  tree  which  is  found  in  great  abundance  in 
this  part  of  India,  and  held  very  sacred. 


296  LIFE   AND  TRAVEL  IN  INDIA. 

armlets,  and  anklets,  mud  figures  of  gods  and  goddesses 
made  of  the  sacred  clay  of  the  (ranges,  the  Godaveri,  and 
the  Brahmapootra,  precious  bones  of  saints  and  prophets 
carved  into  amulets,  and  any  quantity  of  yellow  threads 
as  a  preservative  against  the  evil  eye.  Women  and  chil- 
dren flock  round  these  relic-carriers,  and  in  return  for 
grain,  cloth,  silver,  and  gold  they  will  fasten  a  small  yel- 
low thread,  a  bead,  an  amulet,  or  a  precious  bit  of  some 
dead  saint's  bone — these,  however,  they  part  with  only  for 
gold  or  silver — around  their  wrists,  arms,  neck,  and  feet, 
to  preserve  the  wearer  not  only  from  the  evil  eye,  which 
is  much  dreaded  in  the  East,  but  from  all  diseases  and 
from  sudden  death. 

Once  more  in  our  native  wagon,  with  a  fresh  guide  and 
escort  we  started  for  Canabay,  the  Khambayat  of  the  an- 
cients. We  passed  through  a  luxuriant  country,  for  Guze- 
rat  is  indeed  the  garden  of  the  East.  The  thriving  villages 
enclosed  with  great  hedges  of  prickly  pear ;  the  pretty  little 
wooden  houses  of  moderate  size,  all  built  on  the  same  plan, 
with  farms,  or  cotton-plantations,  or  fruit-orchards  of  man- 
goes, tamarinds,  etc.,  attached  to  them ;  the  two-storied 
houses  of  the  priest,  the  village  schoolmaster,  and  the 
headman,  with  their  high  verdant  hedges  shutting  off  the 
house  from  curious  eyes  and  separating  it  from  its  neigh- 
bors,— this  all  makes  up  a  pretty  picture.  In  the  centre 
of  these  Guzerat  villages  there  is  generally  a  Hindoo  tem- 
ple, and  a  space  fenced  or  hedged  in  where  all  the  villagers 
assemble  for  prayers,  celebration  of  holidays,  and  other  fes- 
tival gatherings. 

The  Guzerati  women  are  handsome,  well-formed,  and 
remarkably  industrious ;  many  of  them  do  all  their  weav- 
ing and  spinning  at  home.  Their  chief  food  consists  of 
eggs,  fowls,  milk,  cream,  and  cheese :  some  of  the  Guzerat 
Brahrnaus  will  eat  fowl  and  even  game.  The  men  are 


THE  ANCIENT  KHAMBAYAT.  297 

well-formed,  athletic,  and  of  fairer  complexion  than  the 
natives  of  Southern  India. 

Cambay^is  a  city  of  great  antiquity  and  well  known  to 
early  European  travellers.  In  1543,  Queen  Elizabeth  of 
England  sent  a  mission  to  Khambayat,  with  instructions 
to  proceed  thence  to  China.  The  Hindoos  state  that  on 
the  site  of  Cambay  stood  twelve  hundred  and  eighty  years 
ago  an  ancient  Brahman  city — according  to  Forbes,  the 
Camanes  of  Ptolemy.  It  derives  its  present  name,  how- 
ever, from  a  copper  pillar,  called  "  Khamb,"  dedicating  it 
to  the  presiding  deity  of  the  place,  the  earth-goddess  Devi ; 
the  date  on  this  pillar  is  a  little  before  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury of  our  era.  Cambay  has  an  air  of  extreme  sluggish- 
ness and  rapid  decay,  and  one  cannot  fail  to  see  its  change- 
ful history  in  its  numerous  foundations.  Everywhere  are 
remnants  of  many  cities  and  many  kinds  and  styles  of  archi- 
tecture, built  one  above  the  other. 

The  travellers'  bungalow  here  comprises  the  upper  stories 
of  a  spacious  stone  building,  once  the  English  factory.  It 
overlooks  the  entire  city,  which  is  built  on  an  eminence, 
with  its  old  walls  perforated  with  holes  for  musketry,  its 
fifty-two  towers  and  ten  gates  guarded  by  soldiers,  and 
also  looks  out  upon  the  great  Gulf  of  Cambay,  than 
which  I  know  nothing  more  formidable  in  nature.  At 
low  tide  for  miles  out  one  sees  only  a  vast  plain,  moist, 
strewn  with  shells,  and  intersected  here  and  there  with 
deep  hollows  and  shifting  sandbanks;  but  when  the  tide 
changes,  and  long  before  the  waters  appear  in  sight,  are 
heard  tremendous  sounds,  crash  after  crash,  thunder  after 
thunder,  of  the  advancing  tide,  which  comes  in  leaping  like 
a  huge  monster,  thirty  to  forty  feet  high,  and  breaks  with 
terrific  violence  against  the  shore,  carrying  everything  be- 
fore it.  Ships  and  native  vessels  anchor  at  a  point  some 
miles  down  the  gulf,  where  the  tides  are  less  strong. 


298  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

Cambay  has  witnessed  many  a  dreadful  scene  of  carnage 
by  the  Mohguls,  Hindoos,  Persians,  and  Rajpoots.  The 
only  objects  of  real  interest  here  are  subterranean  Jain 
temples;  they  are  situated  in  the  Parsee  district.  The 
exterior,  or  rather  upper  part,  of  the  temple  would  be 
insignificant  but  for  the  imposing  statue  of  Parswanath, 
sculptured  in  white  marble,  surrounded  by  a  host  of 
smaller  images,  many  of  which  are  jewelled  and. are  sold 
as  household  deities.  Our  guide  pointed  to  us  a  queer 
narrow  opening  at  the  side  which  led  by  means  of  steep 
steps  to  the  underground  temples  which  the  Jains,  like 
the  early  Christians,  built  for  purposes  of  midnight  as- 
sembly and  worship  in  order  to  escape  the  persecution  of 
the  Mohammedan  conquerors  of  Guzerat. 

Emerging  from  one  of  the  gates  of  Cambay,  we  wended 
our  way  through  ruins  which  are  scattered  all  about  the 
neighborhood.  Now  a  broad  paved  pathway,  now  crum- 
bling tombs,  anon  ancient  structures,  a  broken  archway,  a 
cluster  of  roofless  pillars,  or,  again,  dilapidated  temples, 
mark  the  sites  where  stood  rich  and  quaint  habitations, 
temples,  or  pavilions  of  the  ancient  Hindoos.  The  rich- 
ness and  luxuriance  of  nature  seems  to  have  vanished  also 
from  these  ruinous  suburbs,  and  our  road  was-  no  longer 
beautiful,  but  lay  through  a  deep  sandy  plain  until  we 
entered  the  ancient  capital  of  the  great  sultans,  Ah&mad- 
abjid  or  Ahmedabad,  one  of  the  unrivalled  cities  of  the 
East. 

The  travellers'  bungalow  is  a  pleasant  place,  and  every- 
thing in  the  way  of  living  is  as  cheap  and  good  as  one 
could  possibly  desire.  We  engaged  a  very  intelligent 
guide,  who  spoke  Hindostanee  well,  to  take  us  to  the 
places  best  worth  seeing. 

Our  first  drive  was  to  Mirzapoor  to  see  the  Ranee-Ki- 
Musjid,  or  "the  Queen's  Mosque,"  an  enchanting  spot. 


THE  QUEEN'S  MOSQUE.  299 

The  moment  we  alighted  in  front  of  it  a  very  old  fakeer, 
with  a  multitude  of  necklaces  round  his  neck,  came  out  to 
greet  us,  and  for  a  rupee  showed  us  about  the  place.  The 
mosque  and  mausoleum  here  are  both  beautiful  marble 
structures,  erected  to  the  memory  of  a  princess,  Rupa- 
vati.  Her  tomb,  which  is  richly  ornamented,  is  of  a 
mixture  of  Moslem  and  Hindoo  style  of  architecture. 
The  dome  is  magnificently  fretted,  and  pillars  standing  at 
each  tower  form  a  graceful  colonnade  around  the  tomb. 
But  perhaps  the  chief  and  peculiar  beauty  was  the  situ- 
ation of  these  partially  ruined  monuments,  amid  a  wild 
tangle  of  fruit  and  other  trees  where  birds,  squirrels,  and 
monkeys  find  a  pleasant  home.  The  second  mosque  and 
tomb  are  not  far  off,  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  a  Mo- 
hammedan queen  called  Ranee  Sipra-Ki-Musjid,  "the 
Queen  Sipra's  Mosque,"  one  of  the  favorite  wives  of 
Ahmed  Shah,  the  founder  of  the  city.  These  are  exquisite 
buildings  too,  and  in  the  finest  Saracenic  style ;  the  pillars 
and  minarets  have  an  air  of  wonderful  loftiness  and  beauty. 

The  Kanch  Ki-Musjid,  or  "Glass  Mosque,"  and  the 
Jummah-Musjid,  are  both  remarkably  beautiful  struc- 
tures. The  Glass  Mosque,  so  called  from  the  whiteness 
and  purity"  of  the  marble  of  which  parts  of  it  was  built, 
has  a  graceful  dome  after  the  Turkish  style,  terminating 
in  a  crescent.  The  Juminah-Musjid  is  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  great  street,  "Manik  Chouk,"  which  contains  the  chief 
b;i/uars  and  markets  of  Ahmedabad.  It  is  an  oblong  build- 
ing, with  a  fine  open  courtyard  containing  a  reservoir  for 
washing  the  feet  of  the  worshipper  before  entering  the 
precincts  of  the  temple.  The  light  elegant  domes  of  this 
building  are  supported  by  graceful  pillars,  and  its  open 
arches,  minarets,  and  facades  are  most  exquisitely  orna- 
mented. 

The  grand  royal  cemetery  of  Sarkhej  lies  several  miles 


300  LIFE   AND  TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

from  the  city  of  Ahmedabad — a  wondrous  ruin,  the  an- 
cient summer  residence  of  Ahmed  Shah.  To  approach  it 
one  is  obliged  to  cross  a  fine  pebbly  stream  fordable  at 
points,  called  the  Saber-Muttee,  properly  Safer  Muttee, 
"pure  sand."  The  road  leading  to  these  vast  ruined 
structures  of  palaces,  hareems,  mosques,  tombs,  and  gar- 
dens is  still  paved  in  some  parts. 

We  were  admitted  by  a  saintly  custodian,  who  became 
aifable  the  moment  silver  coins  were  dropped  into  his 
half-open  palm.  Gury  Baksh,  or  "  the  bestower  of  vir- 
tue," the  spiritual  adviser  of  Ahmed  Shah,  lies  interred 
here  beneath  a  splendid  monument  which  attracts  crowds 
of  pilgrims  annually.  The  tomb  and  mosque  were  com- 
pleted by  Khouttub-ood-din,  the  grandson  of  Ahmed 
Shah.  The  city  is  founded  on  the  site  of  a  very  ancient 
and  populous  Hindoo  town  dedicated  to  and  called  after 
the  goddess  Ashawhalla,  and  is  built  out  of  the  materials 
of  one  or  more  Hindoo  cities  which  Ahmed  Shah  sacked 
and  plundered,  carrying  away  the  stones,  pillars,  and  mon- 
uments bit  by  bit. 

Ahmedabad  was  given  up  to  the  East  India  Company 
in  1818,  and  has  been  held  by  it  ever  since.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  do  anything  like  justice  to  the  beauties  and 
attractions  of  this  magnificent  Mohammedan  city.  It 
abounds  in  stately  monuments,  mosques,  mausoleums,  pal- 
aces, great  reservoirs,  and  gardens,  in  a  more  or  less  ruin- 
ous condition,  but  which  show  a  high  degree  of  civiliza- 
tion and  point  to  a  period  when  the  Mohgul  occupation 
of  India  was  at  its  highest  prosperity. 

Leaving  Ahmedabad,  we  started  for  Mount  Aboo.  a 
place  very  little  known,  but  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
spots  in  the  world.  The  magnificent  province  of  Guzerat 
is  separated  from  Marwar  on  the  north-east  by  a  range  of 
mountains  in  which  are  Mount  Aboo  and  a  beautiful 


,'  ••— - 


VISIT  TO   MOUNT  ABOO.  301 

mountain-lake  called  Aboogoosh.  Passing  through  Desa, 
a  military  station  for  European  troops,  and  across  the 
Bhanas  River,  our  road  lay  for  many  weary  days  through 
patches  of  jungle  more  or  less  dense  until  we  found  our- 
selves at  the  pretty  little  Marwar  village  of  Andara, 
which  lies  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Aboo.  There  is  a  good 
path  from  the  village  to  the  summit  of  the  mount,  and 
here  a  beautiful  lake,  called  after  the  saint  "  Aboo,"  who 
is  said  to  have  excavated  the  basin  in  which  it  lies  with 
his  nails,  and  it  is  therefore  called  Nakhi  Taloa,  "  Nail 
Lake."  It  is  an  exquisitely  shaded  bit  of  water,  and  in 
its  vicinity  are  found  wonderful  Jain  temples  built  of  pure 
white  marble.  Not  far  from  this  spot  is  the  sanitarium 
for  travellers,  where  we  took  up  our  abode,  barracks  for 
convalescent  European  soldiers,  and  a  quiet,  unpretending 
little  Protestant  church. 

The  most  important  of  the  cavern-temples  in  the  neigh- 
borhood are  the  Tij  Phal  and  the  Veiuahl  Sail.  One  is 
dedicated  to  a  Jain  saint,  Vrishab-Deva.  It  stands  alone 
in  a  square  court,  and  all  around  it  are  little  cells  with 
deities  enshrined  in  them.  A  number  of  strange-looking 
priests  worship  here,  making  offerings  of  saffron,  lamps 
fed  with  ghee,  and  incense  in  small  brass  pots.  One  priest 
deliberately  asked  us  for  some  brandy,  and,  as  we  had 
none  to  give  him,  proposed  instantly  to  go  back  with  us 
if  we  would  give  him  some,  because  he  suffered  from 
pains  in  his  stomach. 

The  temple  dedicated  to  Parswanath,  the  great  Jain 
teacher  and  saint,  is  an  exquisite  bit  of  architecture  built 
of  the  purest  white  marble.  From  one  of  the  vaulted 
roofs  is  suspended  a  cluster  of  flowers  resembling  the 
half-blown  lotus,  sculptured  out  of  the  rock ;  its  cup  and 
petals  are  so  beautifully  carved  that  they  are  almost  as 
delicate  and  transparent  as  the  flower  itself.  Everywhere 


302  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

the  flowers,  fruits,  birds,  and  animals  indicate  that  the 
artists  must  have  taken  their  models  from  nature.  There 
is  also  a  fine  Rajpoot  fortress  here.  The  dog-rose,  a  beau- 
tiful Indian  flower  called  seotee,  the  pomegranate,  the  wild 
grape,  the  apricot,  are  among  the  indigenous  products  of 
Mount  Aboo.  The  mango  tree  also  abounds  here,  the 
white  and  yellow  jessamine,  the  balsam,  and  the  golden 
champa,  which  is  sacred  to  the  gods ;  but  the  rarest  and 
most  beautiful  of  all  the  plants  is  a  parasite  called  by  the 
natives  ambathri,  with  lovely  blue  and  white  flowers, 
creeping,  entwining,  and  blossoming  around  the  largest 
forest  trees. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning  on  which  we  returned  to 
Andara.  It  was  not  without  deep  regret  that  we  bade 
adieu  to  this  charming  mountain-region  and  the  Jain  tem- 
ples enshrined  within  its  heart.  We  turned  again  and 
again  to  take  a  last  look  at  the  bas-reliefs  and  the  orna- 
ments wrought  here  with  such  grace  and  delicacy  of  de- 
sign as  to  become  the  despair  of  our  more  impetuous 
artists,  before  we  could  make  up  our  minds  to  quit  those 
extraordinarily  beautiful  monuments  for  ever. 


CHAPTER    XIY. 

Calcutta,  the  City  of  the  Black  Venus,  Kali.— The  Eiver  Hoogley.— 
Cremation-Towers. — Chowringee,  the  Fashionable  Suburb  of  Cal- 
cutta.—The  Black  Hole.— Battles  of  Plassey  and  Assaye.— The 
Brahmo-Somaj. — Temple  of  Kali. — Feast  of  Juggurnath. — Benares 
and  the  Taj  Mahal. 

AFTER  eight  or  nine  days'  steaming  from  the  fair  and 
picturesque  island  of  Bombay  our  captain  announced  that 
we  were  about  to  enter  the  Hoogley,  a  river  made  famous 
in  Indian  song  and  story  as  "  the  strong  arm  of  the  beau- 
tiful goddess  Guuga,  the  compassionate  daughter  of  the 
proud  Himalayas,"  but  which  is  in  reality  a  great  muddy 
estuary.  The  burning  sun  poured  down  upon  its  heavy 
waters  as  they  loomed  out  of  the  distant  plain  and  rolled 
sluggishly  toward  the  sea,  every  wave  seeming  to  bear  on 
its  troubled  brow  an  impress  of  the  dark  history  of  the 
land  through  which  it  has  flowed  for  centuries. 

Late  in  the  same  evening  the  pilot-boat  came  out  to 
meet  us,  and  not  long  after  we  cast  anchor  at  a  place  called 
Saugor,  where  there  is  a  lighthouse.  I  remember  distinctly 
the  oppressive  night  we  passed  here,  owing  no  doubt  to  the 
combined  impurities  rising  out  of  the  turbid  waves  and  the 
fetid  odors  of  the  adjoining  land.  Early  next  morning  we 
were  again  in  motion,  sailing  up  the  dusky  Hoogley.  Its 
low,  muddy  banks  were  dotted  with  wretched-looking  mud 
huts,  relieved  only  by  the  ever-graceful  palm  trees  that 
waved  above  them.  What  a  contrast  this  river  was  to 
the  clear,  limpid,  and  joyous  Krishna,  the  high-banked 

303 


304  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

and  proudly  isolated  Godaveri,  the  genial,  broad-breasted 
Taptee,  and  the  grand,  impetuous  Vishwamitra  of  West- 
ern India! 

Another  day  was  nearly  gone  before  we  reached  our 
moorings.  We  cast  anchor  once  more  amid  a  dense  forest 
of  masts,  funnels,  and  native  craft  in  the  harbor  of  Cal- 
cutta. We  were  met  at  the  Champhool  Ghaut,  or  land- 
ing-place, by  kind  friends.  Ascending  a  magnificent 
flight  of  stone  steps  and  passing  under  a  great  archway, 
we  hurried  into  a  European  carriage,  and  were  driven 
rapidly  from  the  strange  conflicting  mass  of  humanity 
that  always  abounds  at  a  great  seaport,  but  especially  at 
the  seaports  of  all  the  British  settlements  in  India. 

The  house  of  our  friends  here  was  in  many  respects 
furnished  like  a  European  dwelling,  and  one  might  al- 
most fancy  himself  in  an  English  home  but  for  the  pil- 
lared halls ;  the  spacious  chambers,  with  long  punkahs  or 
fans  suspended  from  the  ceilings,  some  of  which  are  kept 
going  night  and  day ;  the  dark,  silent  barefooted  domes- 
tics, robed  in  pure  white,  who  are  seen  gliding  noiselessly 
to  and  fro,  which  lend  a  powerful  magic  charm,  a  flavor 
of  the  Arabian  Nights,  to  the  interior  of  even  the  most  ordi- 
nary of  British  homes  in  the  East. 

Calcutta,  the  capital  of  British  India,  still  bears  the 
name  of  the  black  goddess  Kali,  who  is  supposed  to  spread 
pestilence,  famine,  and  death  over  the  land  of  which  she 
is  the  presiding  deity  whenever  her  altars  are  neglected 
and  her  thirst  for  vengeance  unappeased.  Unhealthy  as 
the  spot  is,  it  was  rendered  infinitely  more  so  by  the  in- 
numerable corpses  that  were  until  within  a  few  years  cast 
upon  the  waters  of  the  Hoogley :  the  poverty-stricken 
inhabitants  of  the  land,  unable  to  pay  the  expenses  of  a 
funeral  by  cremation,  committed  their  dead  to  these  waters 
in  the  belief  that  its  mystic  current  would  purify  them  from 


THE  CITY  OF   PALACES.  305 

all  taint  of  sin.  This,  however,  has  been  prohibited  by 
the  British  authorities.  Huge  cremation-towers  now  re- 
ceive all  bodies  cast  upon  its  waters,  whence  the  never- 
dying  flames  are  seen  constantly  ascending,  dark  and  lurid, 
toward  the  tranquil  blue  sky. 

The  town  of  Calcutta  lies  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Hoogley,  which  is  the  eastern  arm  of  the  old  Ganges,  and 
held  almost  as  sacred  as  that  river ;  the  natives  daily  re- 
pair in  great  numbers  to  its  banks  to  offer  up  prayers  and 
praises.  Here  also,  amid  the  din  and  noise  and  hurry  of 
native  craft,  trading  vessels,  and  all  manner  of  river  com- 
merce, may  be  seen  at  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night  the 
sick  and  dying  of  the  Hindoo  population  stretched  on  the 
edge  of  the  river's  banks,  half  immersed  in  the  sacred 
stream,  their  faces  turned  to  the  sky,  convulsed  or  calm, 
breathing  their  lives  away. 

At  high  water  the  Hoogley  is  nearly  a  mile  broad  in 
front  of  the  town,  and  is  very  pleasant  to  look  upon. 
Fine  ships  and  steamers  of  all  nations  and  countries  lie 
here  within  sight  and  sound;  picturesque-looking  craft 
of  every  kind  are  seen  gliding  swiftly  hither  and  thither. 
But  at  low  water  the  scene  suddenly  changes ;  the  river 
becomes  a  shrunken  and  muddy  ghost  of  itself,  with  filthy 
borders,  whence  myriad  floating  particles  of  miasma  are 
wafted  on  the  air  to  the  poor  humanity  who  are  doomed 
to  live  and  labor  in  its  vicinity. 

After  passing  the  triumphal  archway  you  emerge  on  a 
spacious  open  area  called  the  Meidan,  or  plain ;  here  all 
the  principal  roads  part  and  meet,  and  here  on  either  side 
one  sees  a  grand  display  of  really  stately  architecture. 
This  is  the  handsome  and  fashionable  suburb  of  Chow- 
ringee,  and  in  every  respect  worthy  of  being  called,  as 
it  is,  "the  City  of  Palaces."  The  houses  are  all  Euro- 
pean, three  and  four  stories  high,  some  detached,  others 

20 


306  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

connected  by  handsome  terraces  or  open  sunny  balconies, 
many  with  shady  verandahs,  high  carriage-porches  sup- 
ported by  stately  pillars,  while  not  a  few  are  rendered  still 
more  attractive  and  home-like  with  gay  flower-gardens 
and  fine  forest  and  fruit  trees,  which  latter  are  not  as  fine 
as  those  found  in  the  gardens  of  Bombay,  owing  to  the  de- 
structive influence  of  the  periodical  cyclones  that  sweep 
over  the  valley  of  the  Ganges. 

Our  first  drive  was  through  this  the  European  part  of 
the  city,  which  extends  about  five  miles  along  the  river. 
A  noble  and  much-frequented  esplanade  divides  the  town 
from  Fort  William.  On  one  side  stands  the  new  Govern- 
ment-house, said  to  have  been  erected  by  the  marquis  of 
Wellesley.  It  is  a  noble  pile,  an  Ionic  structure  on  a  sim- 
ple rustic  basement.  A  flight  of  stone  steps  leads  to  the 
north  entrance.  The  south  part  of  the  building  is  orna- 
mented with  a  circular  colonnade  surmounted  with  a  lofty 
dome.  There  are  spacious  corridors  at  each  of  the  four 
corners,  with  circular  passages  leading  to  the  private  apart- 
ments of  the  family.  This  princely  building  contains  mag- 
nificent chambers,  some  of  which  are  richly  decorated  and 
filled  with  valuable  portraits  of  the  great  viceroys  of  India. 
Near  the  Government-house  stand  the  Town-hall,  Treasury, 
and  High  Court ;  opposite  is  Fort  "William,  commenced  by 
Clive  soon  after  the  famous  battle  of  Plassey  in  1775,  the 
most  systematically-constructed  fortress  in  India.  It  is 
said  to  have  cost  the  East  India  Company  the  immense 
sum  of  one  million  pounds  sterling.  In  shape  it  is  an 
irregular  octagon,  with  bombproof  quarters  for  a  garrison 
of  no  less  than  ten  thousand  men  and  with  room  for  six 
hundred  pieces  of  cannon.  Toward  the  front  it  presents 
a  regular  massive  appearance,  and  is  not  unlike  most  Euro- 
pean fortifications,  but  on  the  side  overlooking  the  river  it 
is  strikingly  varied  and  picturesque,  owing  to  the  extreme- 


THE  BLACK-HOLE  TRAGEDY.          307 

ly  irregular  and  broken  character  of  the  structure.  It  was 
designed  to  bear  upon  objects  that  might  approach  the  town 
on  either  side  of  the  river,  and  is  eminently  effective  in  ward- 
ing off  danger.  Immediately  beyond  the  fort  the  fine 
steeple  of  the  cathedral  is  seen  rising  pure  and  high  above 
the  surrounding  foliage.  There  is  also  here  a  palatial 
residence  for  an  Anglican  bishop,  and  in  1844  the  Rev. 
H.  Heber  was  the  first  Christian  divine  appointed  to  this 
see,  with  a  salary  of  five  thousand  pounds  per  annum. 

Here  in  this  spot  is  found  the  secret  of  the  marvellous 
success  of  that  small  band  of  intelligent  Englishmen  who 
first  set  out  for  India  under  the  name  and  protection  of 
trade.  Here  only  a  few  years  after  their  arrival  they  laid 
aside  their  intention  of  simple  traders ;  here  they  mounted 
their  guns,  enrolled  armed  bands  of  natives  to  assist  them 
in  their  new  position,  made  laws,  punished  evil-doers,  re- 
warded the  industrious  and  such  as  made  no  opposition  to 
their  pretensions ;  and  here  from  one  step  to  another  they 
finally  became  the  legislators  and  rulers  of  the  land.  The 
city  of  Calcutta  does  not  date  farther  back  than  the  fa- 
mous battle  of  Plassey.  The  old  fortified  English  factory 
was  erected  on  a  low  marshy  plain  in  the  middle  of  a  few 
straggling  native  villages,  bordered  on  three  sides  by  dense 
jungles  infested  with  tigers.  At  that  time  it  had  a  gar- 
rison of  only  three  hundred  men;  nevertheless,  that  in- 
significant English  stronghold  became  in  a  short  time  the 
depository  of  all  the  rich  merchandise  of  the  Gangetic 
valley,  which  excited  the  cupidity  of  many  of  the  rajahs. 
In  1756,  Nawab  Surajah  Dowlah  attacked  it  with  an  im- 
mense army,  and  after  a  desperate  resistance  from  the 
English  merchants  and  soldiers  of  the  fort  he  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  capturing  it.  Then  followed  the  famous  Black 
Hole  tragedy,  which  Macaulay  has  so  graphically  de- 
scribed: "One  hundred  and  forty-six  persons  were 


308  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

thrust  into  a  dungeon  twenty  feet  square ;  driven  into  this 
cell  at  the  point  of  the  sword,  the  door  was  shut  ruth- 
lessly upon  them.  When  they  realized  the  horrors  of 
their  position  they  strove  to  burst  the  door.  They  offered 
large  bribes  to  the  jailers,  but  all  in  vain.  The  nawab 
was  asleep,  and  none  dared  to  awaken  him.  At  length 
the  unhappy  sufferers  went  mad  with  despair.  They 
trampled  each  other  down,  fought  for  the  places  at  the 
windows,  fought  for  the  pittance  of  water  with  which  the 
cruel  mercy  of  the  murderers  mocked  their  agonies,  raved, 
prayed,  blasphemed,  implored  the  guards  to  fire  among 
them.  The  jailers  in  the  mean  time  held  lights  to  the 
bars  and  shouted  with  laughter  at  the  frantic  struggles  of 
their  victims.  At  length  the  tumult  died  away  in  low 
gaspings  and  moanings.  The  day  broke.  The  nawab 
had  slept  off  his  debauch,  and  permitted  the  doors  to  be 
opened.  But  it  was  some  time  before  the  soldiers  could 
make  a  lane  for  the  survivors  by  piling  up  on  each  side 
the  heaps  of  corpses  on  which  the  burning  climate  had 
already  begun  to  do  its  loathsome  work.  When  at  length 
a  passage  was  made,  twenty-three  ghastly  figures,  such  as 
their  own  mothers  would  not  have  known,  staggered  one 
by  one  out  of  the  charnel-house.  A  pit  was  instantly 
dug.  The  dead  bodies,  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  in 
number,  were  flung  into  it  promiscuously  and  covered 
up."  Such  was  the  terrible  nature  of  the  affair  of  the 
Black  Hole.  But  the  day  of  retribution  was  not  far 
distant. 

In  order  to  understand  the  position  of  the  East  India 
Company  at  this  time  we  must  go  back  a  few  years.  The 
jealousy  that  had  sprung  up  between  the  French  and 
English  trading  companies  broke  out  into  open  hostilities 
at  the  moment  of  the  declaration  of  war  by  Louis  XV.  in 
1744.  The  English  were  the  first  to  receive  reinforce- 


CLIVE  EESISTS  THE   FRENCH.  309 

ments  from  home.  Four  English  vessels,  having  pre- 
viously captured  three*  richly-laden  French  vessels  on 
their  voyage  from  Chiua,  appeared  off  the  coast  of  Coro- 
niandel  in  July,  1745.  Dupleix,  the  governor  at  Pon- 
dicherry,  apprehensive  that,  owing  to  the  incomplete  state 
of  the  fortifications  and  the  insufficient  garrison,  the  place 
would  be  taken,  prevailed  on  the  nawab  Anwar  Ou  Deen 
to  threaten  to  revenge  upon  the  English  at  Madras  any 
injury  that  the  squadron  should  inflict  upon  the  French 
possessions  within  the  limits  of  his  government.  The 
Madras  officials,  intimidated  by  the  authoritative  language 
of  the  nawab,  took  immediate  measures  to  prevent  the 
English  fleet  from  attacking  Pondicherry.  The  English 
squadron,  in  obedience  to  the  orders  received,  confined 
their  hostile  operations  to  the  sea. 

In  the  following  year  an  indecisive  action  took  place 
between  the  English  squadron  and  a  French  fleet  under 
the  command  of  La  Bourdonnais ;  after  which  the  latter, 
having  reinforced  himself  at  Pondicherry,  proceeded  to 
attack  the  English  at  Madras.  The  town  was  bombarded 
for  several  days ;  a  few  of  the  inhabitants  were  killed  by 
an  explosion  of  a  bombshell.  The  English,  knowing  that 
the  nawab,  with  all  his  countless  forces,  was  on  the  side  of 
the  French,  capitulated,  on  which  the  assailants  entered 
the  town  and  took  it  without  the  loss  of  a  single  life. 

Robert  Clive,  then  only  a  writer  in  the  East  India 
Company's  service,  was  among  the  persons  who  agreed  to 
submit  to  La  Bourdounais,  on  the  express  condition  that 
the  settlement  should  be  restored  on  easy  and  honorable 
terms.  At  the  time  when  Madras  had  reverted  to  the 
English,  Clive  had  already  exchanged  the  pen  for  the 
sword,  and  had  risen  to  the  rank  of  a  colonel  in  the  Knst 
India  Company's  .-crvice.  On  hearing  of  the  atrocity  of 
the  Black  Hole  the  English  at  Madras  immediately  de- 


310  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

spatched  a  naval  and  military  forqe,  the  one  under  Admi- 
ral Watson,  and  the  other  under  Colonel  Clive,  to  punish 
the  nawab  and  protect  the  English  at  Bengal. 

The  bravery  and  "duplicity"  of  Clive,  who  believed 
in  the  adage,  "  similia  similibus  curantur,"  enabled  him  to 
succeed  beyond  the  most  sanguine  expectations.  Victory 
was  followed  by  victory,  and  at  length,  at  the  battle  of 
Plassey,  Clive  at  the  head  of  three  thousand  men,  of 
whom  less  than  one-third  were  English,  and  in  the  course 
of  a  single  hour's  conflict,  routed  the  entire  army  of 
Snrajah  Dowlah,  consisting  of  fifty-five  thousand  armed 
men.  Surajah  Dowlah  vanquished  and  deposed,  his  prime 
minister,  Meer  Jaffer,  was  appointed  in  the  place  of  the 
master,  whom  he  had  not  only  deserted,  but  betrayed,  and 
thus  Meer  Jaffer  became  at  once  the  subject  and  tool  of 
the  English. 

The  directors  of  the  East  India  Company,  on  receiving 
the  news  of  Clive's  success,  appointed  him  governor  of 
their  possessions  in  Bengal,  and  in  1760  Clive  was  raised 
to  the  peerage  with  an  income  of  forty  thousand  pounds 
a  year. 

Warren  Hastings  was  the  next  Englishman  who  from 
the  position  of  a  clerk  in  an  office  at  Calcutta  rose  to  be 
the  governor-general  of  British  India. 

The  kingdom  of  Mysore,  whose  lofty  table-lands  are 
swept  by  the  cool  breezes  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  has  always 
been  inhabited  by  a  more  hardy  and  manly  race  than  that 
which  occupied  the  lower  plains  of  Hindostan.  Hyder 
Alee,  an  illiterate  common  soldier,  impelled  by  a  daring 
spirit  of  adventure,  seized  this  kingdom  of  Mysore  and 
seated  himself  on  the  throne  of  Seringapatam.  The  next 
step  taken  by  this  daring  adventurer  was  even  more  start- 
ling. In  the  month  of  June,  1780,  and  when  in  his 
eightieth  year,  he  led  an  immense  army  into  the  Carnatic, 


WARREN   HASTINGS   IMPEACHED.  311 

carrying  slaughter  and  destruction  wherever  he  appeared. 
Two  small  English  armies,  headed  by  Colonel  Baillie  and 
Sir  Hector  Muuro,  tried  in  vain  to  check  his  course ;  they 
were  not  only  overwhelmed,  but  compelled  to  retreat, 
and  it  seemed  as  if  the  British  empire  in  Southern  India 
trembled  on  the  very  verge  of  destruction.  It  was  this 
critical  juncture  that  brought  out  the  great  genius  of 
Warren  Hastings.  He  at  once  took  upon  himself  the  su- 
preme direction  of  affaire,  superseded  the  incapable  coun- 
cil at  Madras,  and  without  loss  of  time  despatched  the 
brave  veteran  Sir  Eyre  Coote  with  a  small  but  resolute 
force  to  the  assistance  of  the  English  at  Madras.  At  once 
the  forces  of  Hyder  Alee  were  checked,  siege  after  siege 
was  raised,  until  at  length  the  English  and  Mohammedan 
armies  met  on  the  plains  of  Cuddalore,  whence,  after  a 
desperate  fight,  the  latter  was  driven  in  wild  and  dis- 
orderly confusion.  Hyder  Alee  died  two  years  after  this 
defeat,  bequeathing  to  his  son,  the  famous  Tippoo  Saihib, 
his  throne  and  his  hatred  of  English  domination. 

Very  shortly  after  Warren  Hastings,  impeached  by  the 
House  of  Commons,  resigned  his  office  as  governor-gen- 
eral of  India,  Then  followed  that  famous  trial  which  not 
only  extended  over  seven  years,  but,  when  dismissed  from 
the  bar  of  the  House  of  Lords,  left  Warren  Hastings  a 
ruined  statesman  and  an  insolvent  debtor.  The  East  In- 
dia Company,  howrever,  came  to  his  aid  with  an  annuity 
of  £4000  a  year,  and  a  loan,  half  of  which  was  converted 
into  a  gift,  of  £50,000. 

During  the  administration  of  the  next  governor-general, 
Lord  Cornwallis,  the  implacable  Tippoo  Saihib  suffered  a 
signal  defeat.  Sir  John  Shore  followed  Lord  Cornwallis, 
and  was  succeeded  by  the  earl  of  Mornington,  the  elder 
brother  of  the  "  Iron  Duke."  He  no  sooner  arrived  in 
India  than  Ids  attention  was  called  to  the  intrigues  of  the 


312  LIFE  AND   TRAVEL,   IN  INDIA. 

French  with  Tippoo  Saihib,  who  were  planning,  with  the 
assistance  of  fresh  European  troops,  to  drive  the  English 
out  of  Hindostan.  The  treachery  of  Tippoo  was  antici- 
pated by  a  declaration  of  war.  On  the  5th  of  March,  1798, 
a  British  army,  commanded  by  General  Harris,  with  the 
aid  of  several  native  powers,  entered  the  territory  of 
Mysore,  stormed  the  city  of  Seringapatam,  overthrew  the 
dynasty  of  Tippoo  Sultan,  and  annexed  that  magnificent 
province  to  the  British  dominions. 

The  British  had  no  sooner  gained  possession  of  the  lofty 
table-lands  of  the  Mysore  than  a  new  and  more  formidable 
enemy,  the  warlike  and  predatory  tribes  who  inhabited  the 
table-land  of  the  Deccan,  opposed  their  further  progress. 
The  most  renowned  of  these  kings,  the  rajahs  of  Berar, 
Scindia,  and  Holkar,  formed  the  famous  northern  con- 
federacy under  the  leadership  of  a  still  more  powerful 
chief,  the  Peishwa,  whose  government  was  at  Poonah,  the 
capital  of  the  Deccan.  The  British  were  soon  plunged 
into  an  extensive  war  with  these  wild  and  fierce  northmen. 
On  the  4th  of  September,  1803,  the  fort  of  Alleghur  was 
taken  by  storm,  and  on  the  llth  of  the  same  month  Gen- 
eral Lake  met  twenty  thousand  of  these  intrepid  warriors, 
headed  by  able  French  officers,  and  defeated  them,  captur- 
ing Delhi,  one  of  the  most  ancient  capitals  of  Hindostan 
and  the  seat  of  the  intolerant  and  luxurious  Mohgul  em- 
perors. Triumph  followed  triumph;  Agra,  Ahmednug- 
gur,  and  the  golden  city  of  Aurungabad  surrendered. 

At  length  the  united  powers  of  Sciudia  and  the  rajah 
of  Nagpoor  made  one  more  desperate  attempt  to  oppose 
the  English  power  in  the  Deccan.  The  armies  of  the 
Mahratta  kings  were  marshalled  at  the  small  village  of 
Assaye  to  meet  the  British  troops.  On  ascending  the  ris- 
ing ground  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy's  forces,  the  English 
commander,  who  was  no  other  than  General  Wellesley, 


THE  BATTLE  OF   ASSAYE.  313 

perceived  a  vast  host  extending  in  a  line  along  the  oppo- 
site bank  of  the  Kelnah  River  near  its  junction  with  the 
Jewah.  Their  right  consisted  entirely  of  cavalry,  and 
their  left  was  formed  of  infantry  trained  and  disciplined  by 
De  Boigne,  with  over  one  hundred  pieces  of  cannon,  which 
rested  on  the  fortified  village  of  Assaye.  These  were  com- 
pletely overthrown  by  Wellesley  with  a  force  not  exceed- 
ing eight  thousand  men,  and  of  whom  not  more  thau 
fifteen  hundred  were  English. 

The  power  of  the  Mahratta  kings,  once  shaken  at 
Assaye,  was  at  length  completely  humbled  on  the  plains 
of  Argaum.  They  were  compelled  to  sue  for  peace,  which 
was  only  granted  them  at  the  expense  of  enormous,  terri- 
tory. From  this  time  British  influence  became  paramount 
through  the  whole  of  Northern  Hindostan,  and  these  were 
the  last  and  most  famous  of  General  Wellesley's  conquests 
in  India.  He  returned  to  England  in  1805  to  win  for 
himself  greater  fame  than  even  that  which  he  achieved 
on  Indian  soil. 

Magnificent  as  is  the  city  of  Calcutta  architecturally,  it 
was  considered  at  one  time  one  of  the  most  unhealthy  of 
spots.  The  entire  country  is  flat ;  here  and  there  are  ex- 
tensive muddy  lakes,  breeding  under  a  tropical  sun  malaria 
and  all  manner  of  diseases ;  a  line  of  dank,  tangled  forests 
still  stretch  across  the  land,  and  is  not  very  distant  from 
the  town.  In  former  times  this  jungle  was  the  abode  of 
innumerable  wild  beasts,  and  it  is  even  now  infested  with 
jackals,  who  immediately  after  nightfall  howl  in  sudden 
accord,  uttering  the  most  demon-like  yells.  These  local 
disadvantages  have  been  partially  removed.  The  streets 
have  been  well  and  carefully  drained ;  many  of  the  stag- 
nant, muddy  pools  have  not  only  been  filled  up,  but  con- 
verted into  blooming  gardens;  and  the  magnificent  Bo- 
tanical Garden  with  which  Mr.  Hooker  has  enriched 


314  LIFE  AND   TEAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

Calcutta  is  said  by  good  judges  to  be  the  finest  in  the 
world.  Nevertheless,  the  air  is  still  impregnated  to  a 
certain  extent  with  the  impure  exhalations  arising  from 
the  low  jungles  in  the  vicinity  of  this  city,  called  the 
Sunderbunds. 

From  the  palaces  of  the  conquering  Anglo-Indians  the 
drive  to  the  "  Black  Town/'  as  the  native  portion  of  the 
city  is  still  called,  is  enough  to  discourage  the  most  enthu- 
siastic of  Christians  in  the  world.  This  quarter  of  Cal- 
cutta stretches  for  some  miles  toward  the  north,  present- 
ing at  once  a  sad  contrast  to  the  stately  and  grand  portion 
occupied  by  the  English.  The  transition  is  all  the  more 
marked  because  of  the  architectural  pretensions  of  the  one 
and  the  rude  mud  habitations  of  the  other.  Here  reside 
at  least  three-fourths  of  the  entire  population  of  Calcutta. 
The  streets  are  more  or  less  narrow,  filthy,  unpaved,  and 
unswept.  The  houses  are  built  principally  of  mud,  bam- 
boo, or  other  coarse  woods,  swarming  with  an  excess  of 
population.  Within  this  wretched  vicinity  are  found  no 
less  than  twenty  entire  bazaars  extending  from  one  end 
of  the  "Black  Town"  to  the  other,  well  stocked  with 
goods  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  rare  and  valuable  prod- 
ucts of  the  Indian  loom,  shawls  and  paintings  from  Cash- 
mere, kinkaubs  from  Benares,  teas  and  silks  from  China, 
spices,  pearls,  and  precious  stones  from  Ceylon,  rupees 
from  Pegii,  coffee  from  Java  and  Arabia,  nutmegs  from 
Singapore;  in  fact,  everything  that  the  wide  world  has 
ever  produced  is  displayed,  in  shops  that  are  nothing  but 
miserably  patched  mud  or  bamboo  dwellings.  Through 
these  native  bazaars  the  teeming  population  seemed  to 
flow  and  gurgle  unchanged  through  all  changes  of  gov- 
ernors, constitutions,  and  rulers — the  same  to-day,  in  type, 
character,  feeling,  religion,  and  occupation,  as  it  was  be- 
fore the  beginning  of  the  earliest  known  history.  Here, 


THE   BLACK  TOWN.  315 

assembled  from  the  four  winds  of  the  heaven,  were  all  the 
elements  of  an  unspeakably  motley  crowd — nut-brown, 
graceful  Hindoo  maidens  tripping  daintily  with  rows  of 
water-jars  nicely  balanced  on  their  heads;  dark-hued 
young  Hindoo  men,  all  clean  and  washed,  robed  in  pure 
white,  laughing,  talking,  or  loitering  around;  handsomely- 
dressed  baboos — as  the  native  gentlemen  of  Bengal  are 
called — in  Oriental  costumes,  but  with  European  stockings 
and  shoes,  sauntering  carelessly  along ;  dancing-girls  bril- 
liantly attired;  common  street-women  jewelled  and  be- 
dizened with  innumerable  trinkets  and  in  their  distinctive 
garb ;  bheesties  with  water-skins  on  their  backs ;  Borahs, 
brokers,  Brahmans,  Musulmans,  sepoys,  fakeers,  and  gos- 
sains,  in  their  peculiar  costumes,  shouting  in  manifold 
tongues  and  various  dialects;  and,  above  all,  there  may 
be  seen  strolling  jugglers,  snake-charmers,  and  fortune- 
tellers plying  their  curious  arts  and  completing  the  pic- 
ture of  an  Oriental  bazaar. 

In  some  of  the  streets  a  small  stream  of  water,  a  rivulet 
of  the  sacred  Granges,  flows  bright  and  clear  through  arti- 
ficial channels.  Many  of  the  native  shops  open  on  it,  and 
all  day  long  hosts  of  men,  women,  and  children  may  be 
seen  seated  beside  it,  busy  or  idle,  but  always  grateful  for 
this  truly  precious  gift  of  the  gods. 

Calcutta  boasts  of  a  Sanskrit  college  of  high  repute,  a 
Mohammedan,  and  an  Anglo-Indian  college,  supported 
by  the  English  government.  The  College  of  Fort  Wil- 
liam, founded  by  the  marquis  of  Wellesley,  is  chiefly  used 
by  Englishmen,  who,  having  been  partially  educated  at 
the  College  of  Haylesbury,  England,  are  instructed  here 
in  the  Oriental  languages  and  other  branches  of  study 
necessary  for  their  respective  professions  and  callings  in 
India. 

The  government  system  of  native  education  was  estab- 


316  LIFE   AND   TEAVEL  IN   INDIA. 

lished  on  the  foundation  of  the  Hindoo  schools  already  in 
existence.  These  schools  are  divided  into  two  classes  or 
grades,  the  upper  and  lower  schools.  In  the  upper,  by 
means  of  Sanskrit,  the  peculiar  philosophy,  literature,  and 
religion  of  the  Hindoos  are  taught ;  the  lower  schools  are 
to  be  found  in  every  village,  and  may  be  numbered  by 
tens  of  thousands;  in  these  the  teaching  varies  and  is 
more  or  less  dependent  on  the  ability  of  the  persons — i.  e. 
Brahmans — who  are  employed  to  teach.  Most  of  these 
village  teachers  are  induced  for  about  six  pounds  per  an- 
num to  attend  a  normal  school  for  a  year ;  %fter  having 
passed  the  required  examination  they  are  invited  to  take 
charge  of  some  village  school. 

There  are  eight  great  centres  of  education  in  British 
India,  and  each  is  wholly  independent  of  the  others. 
These  are  the  three  great  presidencies  of  Bengal,  Madras, 
and  Bombay,  Scindh,  the  North-western  Provinces,  Oude, 
the  Central  Provinces,  and  British  Burmah.  Each  of  these 
has  its  own  special  director  of  public  instruction,  with  a 
staff  of  inspecting  officers.  Among  the  institutions  that 
are  wholly  supported  by  the  government  may  be  classed 
the  village  school,  in  which  the  vernacular  of  the  district 
is  taught  with  a  few  other  studies ;  the  zillah,  or  district 
school,  in  which  the  higher  classes  are  often  educated  in 
English  and  prepared  for  the  universities;  the  talook 
schools,  which  also  are  preparatory  schools ;  colleges  with 
European  professors,  in  which  a  thorough  English  edu- 
cation is  imparted  to  the  students,  as  are  now  found  in  the 
chief  cities  of  Benares,  Delhi,  Agra,  Lahore,  Poonah,  Mad- 
ras, and  Calcutta;  and  the  Elphinstone  College  at  Bombay. 
Normal  schools,  technical  colleges  for  medicine,  engineer- 
ing, and  surgery,  mission  and  other  private  schools 
abound,  besides  which  there  are  thousands  of  purely  na- 
tive schools  scattered  throughout  the  vast  territory  of 


SCHOOLS   FOR   NATIVE   WOMEN.  317 

India,  still  existing  under  the  old  Brahmanic  village  sys- 
tem of  education. 

Native  female  education  is  hardly  begun  by  the  govern- 
ment, and  the  task  is  very  difficult,  owing  to  the  peculiar 
social  restraints  still  imposed  on  the  better  class  of  Asiatic 
women.  The  Parsee  female  schools  in  Bombay  are  said 
to  be  the  best  supported  and  the  most  efficient  in  this  re- 
spect. About  twenty-five  years  ago  Mr.  Bethune  opened 
in  the  city  of  Calcutta  a  school  for  native  women.  It  was 
liberally  supported  by  Lord  Dalhousie,  and  since  his  death 
by  the  state*  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  movement  which 
has  found  great  favor  not  only  in  Bengal,  but  in  the  North- 
western Provinces  and  the  Punjaub.  There  are  now  in 
Bengal  two  normal  schools  for  teachers  and  two  hundred 
and  forty-four  schools  for  girls,  with  4844  pupils.  There 
are  no  fewer  than  six  hundred  and  fifty  schools  in  the 
Punjaub,  with  an  aggregate  of  20,534  pupils.  These  ele- 
mentary schools  in  the  Punjaub,  Lahore,  and  Umritsur 
are  superintended  solely  by  native  gentlemen.  In  addition 
to  these  the  zenana  mission-work,  carried  on  so  success- 
fully by  American  and  European  missionary  ladies,  is 
slowly  but  surely  preparing  hundreds  of  women  and  chil- 
dren for  a  day  that  may  ripen  into  better  things ;  like  a 
grain  of  mustard-seed  once  cast  into  the  right  soil,  it  will 
stretch  out  strong  boughs  to  the  four  corners  of  the  earth 
for  the  birds  to  lodge  under. 

Another  school  of  religious  thought,  already  mentioned, 
called  the  Brahmo-Somaj,  "assembled  in  the  name  of  God," 
is  even  more  closely  allied  with  the  dawning  freedom  and 
emancipation  of  the  Hindoos  from  the  priestcraft  and  spirit- 
ual tyranny  of  the  Brahman  hierarchy.  From  this  new 
school  of  religious  thought  a  large  party  of  about  five 
thousand  souls  seceded  some  few  years  ago.  They  chose 
for  their  leader  the  able  and  astute  philosopher,  the  late 


318  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

Keshub  Chunder  Sen,  one  of  the  most  talented  and  spirit- 
ual men  among  the  Hindoos  of  to-day.  This  association 
has  a  church  in  Calcutta,  where  the  members  meet  once  a 
week  or  oftener  for  the  purposes  of  meditation  and  worship. 

Various  means  of  improvement  are  now  open  to  the 
British  subjects  of  India.  The  English  residents  in  Cal- 
cutta, Madras,  and  Bombay  are  among  the  most  kind  and 
liberal  people  in  the  world.  Quite  independent  of  the 
government  establishments,  they  privately  support  a  vast 
number  of  charitable  institutions,  and  there  is  no  end  of 
societies  for  religious  and  other  educational  Objects;  and 
although  the  changes  effected  in  the  religious  and  social 
condition  of  the  majority  of  the  peoples  since  the  occu- 
pation of  India  by  the  British  are  hardly  perceptible, 
nevertheless  some  very  important  steps  have  been  taken 
toward  ensuring  the  good  of  the  people  at  large,  espe- 
cially in  the  prohibition  of  sutteeism,  infanticide,  the  ter- 
rific sacrifice  of  life  that  at  one  time  characterized  the  fes- 
tival of  the  god  Juggernath,  not  to  speak  of  the  tortures 
of  maddened  fanatics  and  self-condemned  ascetics,  the 
horrible  practices  of  the  Thugs  and  that  of  the  Meriahs 
of  Orissa.  All  these  savage  practices  are  more  or  less  re- 
pressed by  the  constant  and  vigilant  operation  of  protective 
laws  instituted  by  the  British  rulers. 

Before  leaving  Calcutta  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  Khali 
Ghaut,  and  alighted  before  a  great  hall  with  a  towering 
but  ungainly  roof  above  it.  This  was  the  famous  temple 
of  the  black  goddess  Kali.  There  was  something  more 
entangled,  enchanted,  and  demon-like  about  this  building 
and  its  interior  than  any  other  that  I  had  ever  entered 
in  India.  It  was  the  festival  of  Juggernath.  A  num- 
ber of  white- robed  priests  were  preparing  to  place  the 
grim  goddess  in  a  car  and  to  lead  her  forth  to  grace  the 
festival.  The  temple  consisted  of  a  vast  number  of  low 


THE   TERRIBLE  GODDESS   KALI.  319 

pillars;  it  was  dimly  lighted,  and,  although  light  was 
flooding  the  earth  everywhere  in  great  splendor,  it  was  not 
allowed  to  enter  here,  but  it  worked  its  way  hither  and 
thither  and  quivered  dubiously  in  unearthly  tints  on  the 
face  of  the  black  goddess  dimly  visible  in  the  distance. 
A  more  hideous  and  repulsive  image  can  hardly  be  con- 
ceived by  the  heart  of  man  than  this  veritable  female  fiend 
after  whom  the  city  of  Calcutta  is  still  named. 

No  one  seemed  to  object  to  our  entering  the  temple,  so 
we  walked  down  the  dim  aisles  and  stood  face  to  face  with 
the  grim  and  terrible  Kali.  It  would  be  impossible  to  give 
utterance  to  the  sense  of  horror  that  crept  over  me  as  I 
looked  at  this  strange,  enigmatic  deity  of  the  Bengalees. 
The  black  face  was  surmounted  by  long  hair  which  had 
the  appearance  of  innumerable  serpents ;  a  red  tongue 
protruded  from  the  hideous  mouth ;  the  expression  of  the 
eyes  was  strange  and  fierce,  almost  to  madness ;  she  was 
furnished  with  four  arms,  in  one  of  which  she  grasped  a 
knife  and  in  the  other  the  head  of  a  man ;  in  another  pair 
of  hands  higher  up  she  held  a  lotos  and  the  chakra,  or 
the  wheel.  Round  her  neck  hung  the  skulls  of  murdered 
victims,  and  she  stood  on  the  body  of  a  prostrate  man, 
who  is  represented  trumpeting  forth  her  praises  even 
while  she  is  in  the  act  of  crushing  him  to  death. 

The  pundit  explained  to  us  the  meaning  of  this  horrible 
figure ;  no  further  text  was  needed.  This  grim  idol  is  to 
the  Hindoos  a  fearful  warning  against  sensuality.  The 
lotos  in  the  upper  hand,  which  is  the  emblem  of  purity, 
and  the  wheel  of  retribution,  are  transformed  in  the  lower 
hands  into  a  knife  and  a  bleeding  human  head.  She  puts 
out  her  tongue  derisively,  and  crushes  her  victim — all  in- 
dicating, as  plainly  as  our  Bible,  "The  wages  of  sin  is 
death."  Human  sacrifices  were  offered  to  her  at  no  very 
remote  period,  but  now,  by  order  of  the  British  govern- 


320  LIFE   AND   TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

ment,  the  sacrifices  to  her  are  limited  to  goats  and  kids, 
which  are  offered  to  her  every  morning. 

As  we  were  standing  and  looking  at  this  strange  idol,  a 
number  of  barefooted  priests  came  through  a  narrow  court, 
entered  the  temple,  and  took  their  places  beside  the  shrine. 
Two  men  very  handsomely  dressed  approached  from  an 
opposite  direction  bearing  a  fine  goat,  which  was  tied  by 
the  feet,  and  laid  it  at  the  foot  of  the  aJtar.  Then  one  of 
the  priests  took  from  the  altar  a  vase  containing  some  red 
paint  mixed  with  oil,  with  which  he  touched  the  forehead, 
fore  feet,  and  breast  of  the  goat ;  he  then  sprinkled  some 
consecrated  water  on  it.  This  done,  a  low-caste  man 
stepped  up,  took  the  poor  palpitating  beast,  inserted  its 
head  into  a  curiously-fashioned  guillotine,  secured  it  there 
by  means  of  a  wooden  pin,  and  then  dealt  it  one  blow ; 
the  head  was  severed,  and  was  presented  to  the  officiating 
priests,  and  the  executioner  carried  away  the'  body.  Such 
offerings  are  made  by  both  men  and  women  as  an  atone- 
ment for  personal  offences.  Thus  the  wrath  of  the  black 
goddess  of  Calcutta  is  supposed  to  be  appeased.  Goats 
are  also  sacrificed  to  her  by  Hindoo  women  when  they 
have  had  bad  dreams  or  when  they  anticipate  any  calam- 
ity, in  order  to  avert  the  coming  evil. 

On  the  next  day  was  the  procession-  of  Juggernath.  A 
wilder  and  more  incongruous  scene  I  never  witnessed. 
We  spent  several  hours  in  watching  the  procession,  which, 
issuing  from  the  native  town,  traverses  a  large  circuit 
round  the  principal  thoroughfares,  pauses  at  the  bank  of 
the  river,  and  then  retires  to  the  country-seat  of  the  idol, 
some  few  miles  from  the  temple.  The  idol  is  made  of 
wood,  is  about  six  feet  high,  with  a  grim  human  counte- 
nance— very  unlike  the  carvings  of  Krishna  to  be  found 
in  other  parts  of  India — painted  blue,  and  seated  in  a 
lofty  chariot  borne  aloft  on  sixteen  high  wheels.  It  was 


THE  PEOCESSION  OP  JUGGERNATH.  321 

| 

drawn  by  long  ropes  held  by  thousands  of  enthusiastic 
men,  women,  and  children,  who  often  bribe  the  priests  for 
the  privilege  of  conducting  the  god  to  his  country-house. 
A  number  of  priests  and  gayly-dreesed  priestesses,  stand- 
ing on  the  platform  of  the  chariot,  chanted  the  praises  of 
the  "  lord  of  life,"  while  the  people  shouted,  screamed, 
and  clapped  their  hands  amid  the  wild  beating  of  drums 
and  din  of  hundreds  of  native  musical  instruments.  The 
air  was  heavy  with  the  incense  offered  to  the  idol,  while 
nature  around  seemed  to  be  steeped  in  repose,  myriads  of 
bees  murmured  softly  their  idyllic  hum  among  the  way- 
side flowers,  doves  were  seen  nestling  together  among  the 
shady  leaves  of  huge  pepul  trees,  and  around  the  cool 
recesses  of  huge  tanks  and  reservoirs  numbers  of  peacocks 
sat  or  strutted  quietly  about,  unfurling  their  glories  to  the 
noonday  sun.  More  puzzling  than  even  the  festival  of 
Juggernath  is  the  curious  state  of  things  still  existing  in 
British  India,  for  side  by  side  with  the  Church  of  the 
Brahmo-Somaj,  the  advanced  thought  and  intelligence  of 
the  educated  baboos  and  other  highly  philosophic  and  cul- 
tivated natives  of  Bengal,  are  the  temples  of  the  goddess 
Kali  and  the  strange  festival  of  Juggernath. 

With  regard  to  European  influence,  it  must  be  admitted 
that  it  is  hardly,  if  at  all,  felt  by  the  majority  of  the  na- 
tive population.  The  viceroy  and  the  great  English 
grandees  are  separated  from  the  natives  for  whose  inter- 
ests they  are  there  by  law  and  custom  which  nothing  can 
overcome,  and  the  officials  around  whom  the  whole  Indian 
empire  revolves  are  often  ignorant  of  the  Indian  lan- 
guages, races,  religious  and  social  prejudices,  and  mode  of 
life  of  the  hundreds  of  provinces  that  lie  within  the  rail- 
ways, while  those  beyond  are  to  them,  as  the  wilds  of 
Africa,  an  undiscovered  country.  I  have  often  heard  gen- 
tlemen of  great  intelligence  in  other  respects  speak  of  the 
21 


322  LIFE   AND  TRAVEL   IN  INDIA. 

people  of  India  with  profound  contempt,  classing  in  one 
indistinguishable  mass  Brahmans,  Hindoos,  Parsees,  Mo- 
hammedans, Arabians,  Persians,  Armenians,  Turks,  Jews, 
and  other  races  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Our  next  visit  was  to  Benares,  the  far-famed  ecclesias- 
tical metropolis  of  Hindostan.  We  rested  full  two  hours 
just  outside  this  sacred  spot  to  enable  our  pundit  to  per- 
form the  prescribed  observances  before  entering  this  holy 
of  holies.  When  he  appeared  before  us  he  was  bathed, 
shaved,  anointed,  and  clothed  in  pure  white,  and  even  to 
his  sandals  he  was  a  new  man.  He  kept  his  eyes  half 
closed,  so  that  his  thoughts  should  not  be  tempted  to  stray 
from  the  object  of  his  deep  contemplation.  Presently  we 
were  joined  by  a  crowd  of  pilgrims  who  passed  into  the 
city,  some  prostrating  themselves  full  length  as  they  dreAV 
near.  In  the  morning  light  Benares  presented  a  most 
imposing  appearance :  the  buildings  are  lofty  and  mostly 
in  the  Hindoo  style  of  architecture,  stretching  for  several 
miles  along  the  edge  of  the  Ganges,  from  which  ascends 
a  long  line  of  stone  steps.  Next  morning  we  visited  sev- 
eral of  the  Hindoo  temples,  especially  the  temple  of  the 
monkeys,  which  was  one  of  the  most  ludicrous  I  have 
ever  witnessed.  A  number  of  tame  monkeys  played  about 
the  temple  even  while  the  most  solemn  services  were  being 
performed  within.  The  large  area  for  the  cremation  of 
dead  bodies  sent  hither  from  all  parts  of  Hiudostan  was 
the  most  astonishing  thing  I  have  ever  seen,  and  the  huge 
funeral  pyres  ever  burning  here  produced  on  my  mind  an 
ever-memorable  eifect.  We  were  glad  to  turn  our  steps 
from  the  revolting  sights  and  scenes  of  the  cremation- 
ground  to  a  beautiful  mosque  which  stands  as  a  symbol 
of  Moslem  power  in  the  very  heart  of  this  Brahmanic  city, 
towering  up  above  the  surrounding  buildings  on  the  site 
of  a  once  magnificent  Hindoo  temple  which  was  torn 


THE  WINDOW  OF  MAN  MCKDER,  BENARES. 


THE   HOLY    LAND   OF   IXDIA.  323 

down,  by  the  order  of  Aurungzebe,  to  give  place  to  the 
present  graceful  structure.  We  remained  for  an  hour  or 
more  within  the  walls  of  this  mosque,  and  came  away 
charmed  with  the  glistening  mosaics,  the  capitals  of  the 
columns,  the  vaults,  ceilings,  and  arches,  and  the  thousand 
and  one  mysterious  optical  illusions  of  light  and  shade 
caused  by  the  wonderous  architecture  of  the  Moslems. 
Our  next  visit  was  to  the  Hindoo  Sanskrit  College,  the 
most  famous  institution  of  learning  in  Hindostan,  and 
well  worth  seeing.  The  students  often  assemble  here  at 
sunrise,  and  even  after  sunset,  to  continue  their  studies, 
and  in  no  part  of  India  do  I  remember  meeting  so  many 
noble-looking  young  Hindoos  as  were  assembled  in  these 
halls  on  the  morning  of  our  visit. 

From  Benares  we  made  a  long  and  tedious  dahk-jour- 
ney — i.  e.  by  changing  horses  at  different  stations — to  Agra, 
in  the  upper  plains  of  India.  The  country  we  passed 
through  was  beautiful.  The  picturesque  native  villages 
of  immemorial  antiquity,  their  names,  their  fields,  their 
hereditary  offices  and  occupations,  have  come  down  to 
them  out  of  a  dim  past  and  through  countless  generations, 
and  everywhere  we  saw  fields  of  millet  and  wheat,  the 
flaming  poppy,  and  the  tall  luscious  sugar-cane  plantations ; 
cream-colored,  dreamy -looking  oxen  moving  sleepily  about 
in  the  fields  or  drawing  water  from  the  wells  and  tanks ; 
men,  women,  and  children  basking  under  the  shade  of 
huge  trees  or  bathing  languidly  in  the  cool  tanks,  giving 
one  the  feeling  of  passing  through  dreamland. 

The  great  sight  of  sights  at  Agra,  as  every  one  now 
knows,  is  the  famous  Taj-Mahal,  and  hither  we  repaired 
the  morning  after  our  arrival ;  and  I  must  confess,  though 
I  had  heard  of  it  and  read  the  many  elaborate  descriptions 
of  it,  I  had  no  idea  of  its  matchless  beauty  till  I  stood 
under  its  roof  surrounded  by  its  pillars  and  walls.  It  would 


324  LIFE   AND  TRAVEL   IN   INDIA. 

take  pages  to  describe  the  wonderful  outlines  of  the  win- 
dows, the  ornaments  of  the  walls,  arches,  domes,  and  min- 
arets, or  even  the  exquisite  carvings  and  arabesques  of  a 
single  frieze;  so  that  I  will  not  attempt  here  what  has 
already  been  so  often  done.  The  impression  left  on  the 
mind  is  very  deep  and  solemn.  When  I  first  caught  sight 
of  the  Taj  through  the  noble  gateway  at  the  entrance  to 
the  grounds,  I  experienced  feelings  of  mingled  awe  and 
wonder,  which  increased  in  proportion  as  we  examined  it 
more  closely.  Even  the  enormous  platform  on  which  the 
Taj  stands  is  of  white  marble,  inlaid  with  precious  stones, 
and  all  the  lower  parts  outside  of  the  building  are  also 
most  elaborately  and  tastefully  carved.  The  dome  is  per- 
fect in  its  proportions  of  pure  white  marble,  with  an  ex- 
quisite minaret  of  gold.  In  the  centre  is  the  tomb  of 
Noor  Mahal,  also  called  by  her  proper  name,  Mamtaz 
Mahal,  the  favorite  wife  and  queen  of  Shah  Jehan,  built 
to  her  memory  two  centuries  ago.  Above  the  tomb  is  a 
mass  of  the  most  delicate  inlaid  work,  and  the  screen-like 
wall  which  surrounds  it  is  entirely  composed  of  leaves  and 
all  sorts  of  flowers  containing  innumerable  precious  stones. 
The  echoes  of  our  voices  produced  the  most  wonderful  re- 
verberations, impossible  to  imagine  or  adequately  describe. 
We  visited  the  Taj  also  by  moonlight,  and  .found  it  a  hun- 
dred-fold more  enchanting.  The  gardens  in  which  it 
stands  are  purely  Oriental,  and  recalled  to  my  mind  many 
passages  from  the  old  Persian  poets.  There  are  lovely 
white  marble  fountains  and  tanks  and  promenades  with 
inviting  seats  here  and  there  for  rest,  while  a  profusion  of 
fragrant  flowers,  shrubs,  and  the  dark  silent  cypresses 
which  stand  like  muffled  mourners  around  the  monument 
add  a  pathetic  beauty  to  the  lovely  spot. 

Having  seen  the  Taj,  there  was  nothing  left  to  do  but 
to  return  to  the  "Aviary"  on  Malabar  Hill. 


THE   ENCHANTMENT   OF   THE   LAND.  325 

And  now,  as  I  close  these  brief  sketches  of  life  and 
travel  in  India,  the  romance,  antiquity,  the  song,  and 
story  still  stir  the  memory  with  the  powerful  enchant- 
ment of  a  land  where  all  nature  seems  to  lie  dreaming  in 
its  glory  of  perpetual  sunshine,  warmth,  and  color. 


THE   END. 


£         ^E-ONIVERJ^.      ^clOS-ANGEl^ 


i_l 

__,„       University  of  California 
,,nf  2VTHERN  REG|ONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 
AfclUS from  which  it  was  borrowed. 

Vr"!          if 

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